Effect of different pre-slaughter procedures on behavioural and blood parameters in pigs

Abstract

The effect of different pre-slaughter procedures on behavioural and blood parameters were evaluated on 120 pigs reared in one farm and delivered in groups of 40 subjects to three slaughterhouses. Due to the different attitude of the personnel involved, differences in handling were evident at loading and at unloading where the difficulties to drive the pigs increased the behavioural events. Blood analysis parameters showed that different resting time did not reduce the physical stress experienced by the pigs, which seems related "per se" to loading, transport and unloading and not to the different handling applied in each slaughter plant.