Health and Welfare Management of Pigs Based on Slaughter Line Records

Abstract

Health and welfare management of pigs are relevant issues to optimise productivity. Diseases and injuries are important elements when monitoring health and welfare. On farm, disease is assessed by observing symptoms and behavioural signs. Evaluation of injuries includes inspection of skin lesions and tail and ear wounds due to aggression or biting, respectively. However, these measures are taken in large groups, dirty animals or when insufficient light is available. These constraints may compromise sometimes reliability and feasibility. At slaughter, carcass and viscera examination allow the evaluation of skin lesions, and tail and ear wounds, as well as the identification of diseases. As a result of infections, affected lymphatic nodes become swollen and abnormal in colour. Conditions such as pneumonia or porcine atrophic rhinitis have characteristic lesions. Validity and reliability are high. However, to be a feasible and valid method, carcass identification should be kept throughout the process. Determination of acute plasma proteins (APPs) in blood after sticking gives valuable information on clinical and even subclinical disease on farms. Furthermore, several reports have suggested that APPs could be good indicators of animal welfare. At the slaughterline, animals from several farms can be sampled on the same day, reducing the risk of disease transmission. However, to use the Slaughter line records to improve health and welfare, a feedback system to the farm should exist.