An analysis of the influence of preslaughter management factors on welfare and meat quality outcomes in fed beef cattle in the United States

Abstract

During the preslaughter phase, cattle are transported from their place of origin to a slaughter facility, experiencing transportation, lairage, environmental factors, and novel environments. Although research exists that has focused how the preslaughter phase impacts cattle welfare and meat quality, some significant preslaughter management factors and subsequent welfare and meat quality outcomes have not been thoroughly explored. The objective of this study was to assess the effects of preslaughter management factors on welfare and meat quality outcomes in fed beef cattle in the United States. Transportation factors, environmental characteristics, lairage factors, cattle characteristics, and several meat quality variables were collected from 5 federally inspected commercial processing facilities in the United States. After excluding slaughter lots that included <75% complete datasets, a total of 619 slaughter lots representing 84,508 head of cattle were used for further analysis. Predictor variables of interest included processing plant, cattle breed, sex class, operation shift at the plant, distance traveled to the plant, truck waiting time to unload at the plant, lairage duration and space allowance, temperature humidity index, and windspeed. Outcome variables of interest included cattle mobility, carcass bruising, dark cutting (DC), quality grades, and hot carcass weights. Logistic and linear regressions were used to analyze the associations between the predictor and outcome variables of interest. Increased distance traveled and truck waiting time were associated with higher odds of mobility impairment (P = 0.0009 and P = 0.007, respectively), with each 10 km increase in distance traveled having an odds ratio (OR) of 1.001 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.000 to 1.001) and each 1-min increase in waiting time having an OR of 1.003 (CI: 1.001 to 1.004). Conversely, a 10-km increase in distance traveled decreased the odds of carcass bruising (OR: 0.997, CI: 0.996 to 0.998; P < 0.0001). Longer lairage was associated with increased odds of DC (P = 0.0415), with each 60-min increase in duration having an OR of 1.034 (CI: 1.001 to 1.068). The results demonstrate the importance of truck arrival management (i.e., scheduling, prioritizing unloading) on mobility. Focusing on lairage management (i.e., density and time) may provide some opportunities to improve meat quality. Lay Summary Ensuring animal welfare is a critical component of preslaughter animal management. Transportation, handling practices, and facilities can impact both animal welfare indicators and meat quality. Although there is a large body of research investigating the impacts of various preslaughter management practices on cattle welfare and meat quality, many of the studies are limited in scope (e.g., including a small number of influencing factors or welfare and meat quality outcomes). This research assessed the effects of several important management factors, such as distance traveled to the plant, truck wait time at the plant, and space allowance in holding pens on welfare (e.g., mobility) and meat quality (e.g., bruising and dark cutting) outcomes on a large population of fed cattle at commercial slaughter facilities in the United States. Results indicate that the impact on cattle welfare and meat quality during this phase is multifactorial. For example, the plant, breed of cattle, truck waiting time, distance traveled, space allowance, wind speed, and temperature humidity index were all associated with cattle mobility. By understanding these relationships, industry stakeholders can adjust management practices to improve both cattle welfare and ultimate meat quality during this significant phase of the marketing process.