Pre-slaughtering factors related to bruises on cattle carcasses in the micro-region of Araguaína, Tocantins, Brazil

Abstract

The objective of the study was to evaluate the main pre-slaughter factors contributing to bruising on cattle carcasses in the micro-region of Araguaína, Tocantins. The experiment was conducted from January to June using data from 414 cattle heads of different breeds, body weight and sex. Factors related to bruises in cattle were evaluated from the farms to a federally inspected slaughterhouse in Araguaína. The independent variables were road type, journey distance (paved and mixed roads), journey time (paved and mixed roads), driver's experience, prevalence of horns, sex class, falls during unloading, use of devices during unloading, truck maintenance conditions, presence of loose and/or protruding boards in the truck, condition of the truck floor, use of electric cattle prods during handling, presence of protruding nails and/or screws in the truck, arrangement of boards in the crowding pen, presence of broken boards in the cattle handling facility, angle of loading ramp, presence of protruding nails and/or screws in the cattle handling facility, and design and material of the cattle handling facility. The frequency of bruises was associated with the independent variables using contingency tables by the chi-square test (χ2) to measure the association between variables. The variables road type, journey distance (mixed roads), journey time (mixed roads), animal behavior, falls during unloading, truck maintenance conditions, presence of loose and/or protruding boards in the truck, condition of the truck floor, arrangement of boards in the crowding pen, and presence of broken boards in the cattle handling facility had a significant effect on carcass bruising. Therefore, several pre-slaughter factors contribute to bruising on cattle carcasses.