Improvement in the Usability of Meat Inspection Findings for Swine Herd Health Management

Abstract

Official veterinarians inspect meat to ensure that it is fit for human consumption; however, the meat inspection reports provided to farmers are currently limited to only yes/no answers for several pathological findings. A more detailed and standardized system for data collection is needed to increase the usefulness of the information for the primary sector. In this work, a multi-level recording system for alterations of the lungs and the pleura (no changes, low-grade, moderate-grade, and high-grade alterations) was developed. Trained staff applied this system to 20,345 carcasses slaughtered at four different abattoirs located in two different federal states of Austria. Data for 408 batches from 318 different farms were recorded in total. The analysis of the data obtained showed that frequency of pulmonary and pleural alterations was quite heterogeneous between the slaughter batches. It showed that more detailed information could be easily collected within the obligatory evaluation process. Once this standardized system is introduced on a routine basis, it can provide useful and informative feedback for farmers and veterinarians. Ultimately, the results showed that the information collected provided added value for pig farmers and the supervising veterinarians ensuring animal welfare and contributing to improved, sustainable animal husbandry.