Assessment of pig welfare at slaughterhouse level: A systematic review of animal-based indicators suitable for inclusion in monitoring protocols

Huanca-Marca, Nancy F. ; Estévez-Moreno, Laura X. (Universidad de Zaragoza) ; Losada Espinosa, Natyieli ; Miranda-de la Lama, Genaro C. (Universidad de Zaragoza)

Resumen: Pig welfare constitutes a strategic pillar of sustainability within the pork industry. Consequently, there is a need to identify, develop and/or validate indicators for assessing pig wellbeing under commercial conditions. A systematic review following PRISMA guidelines identified 95 pig welfare indicators (PWIs) categorized into physiological, behavioral, health and post-mortem, and product quality. The review evaluated their validity and feasibility (V&F;) for use in abattoirs to measure welfare during transport and slaughter. Thirty V&F; indicators were found: one physiological (body temperature), 12 behavioral (human-animal relationship, aggression, falling, vocalization, slipping, panting, lying down, sitting, turning back), 13 health and post-mortem (presence of entry points, hernias, body lesions, ear lesions, tail lesions, pericarditis, pneumonia, bursitis, lameness, dead animals, walking and non-walking animals), and four product quality (pH, bruises, body condition, carcass weight). This information might help to identify the factors that affect the risk level of particular pig welfare problems, thereby aiding in the application of risk-based strategies.

Idioma: Inglés

DOI: 10.1016/j.meatsci.2024.109689

Año: 2025

Publicado en: Meat Science 220 (2025), 109689 [16 pp.]
ISSN: 0309-1740

Financiación: info:eu-repo/grantAgreement/ES/AEI/OPTICARN 2022/2054

Tipo y forma: Article (Published version)

Área (Departamento): Área Econom.Sociol.Polit.Agra. (Dpto. CC.Agrar.y Medio Natural)
Área (Departamento): Área Producción Animal (Dpto. Produc.Animal Cienc.Ali.)