Assessing cattle welfare at slaughter – Why is it important and what challenges are faced?

The welfare of animals in the meat industry, especially at the time of slaughter, has become an area of increasing public scrutiny and has prompted research on its assessment, and enhancement. Fundamental factors such as the effects of transport, reactions of the animals to novel environments and underlying commercial pressures which impose ‘speed’ and ‘robustness of action’ in the way animals are handled, can pose a challenge when establishing a valid, reliable and feasible welfare assessment protocol for use at slaughter. The purpose of this review is to assess published work on animal welfare at slaughter, with a focus on the current methods used to assess cattle welfare in the slaughterhouse, which are outlined in the scientific and trade literature, and how these relate to the interaction between the environment, the animal, and slaughterhouse personnel

The influence of welfare training on bird welfare and carcass quality in two commercial poultry primary processing plants.

The number of broilers slaughtered globally is increasing. Ensuring acceptable welfare conditions for birds at the time of slaughter is paramount in meeting legislative and retailer specifications, and in producing high quality meat. There is knowledge that welfare training programs for members of the farming and red meat slaughter industry can improve animal welfare measures and product quality, however there is little evidence of the effects of welfare training in poultry processing plants. In our study, a comprehensive welfare training program was introduced to a Costa Rican and a British commercial broiler primary processing plant, both of which slaughter birds by way of neck cut post electrical water bath stunning. The effects of this program on some welfare and product quality measures were investigated, both immediately and six months post training. The welfare measures that showed significant improvements post training included; flapping at shackling, pre-stun shocks, stun parameters and effective neck cut. Product quality measures including broken wings and red pygostyles also improved, however the positive effect of training was not seen in all quality measures. Welfare training does have the potential to improve broiler welfare and product quality at slaughter, and these data could help the development and targeting of future welfare training courses and encourage the uptake of welfare training in the poultry slaughter industry

Use of transabdominal ultrasound-guided transjugular portal vein puncture on radiation dose in transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt formation

PURPOSE:Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) creation is used to treat portal hypertension complications. Often the most challenging and time-consuming step in the procedure is the portal vein (PV) puncture. TIPS procedures are associated with prolonged fluoroscopy time and high patient radiation exposures. We measured the impact of transabdominal ultrasound guidance for PV puncture on duration of fluoroscopy time and dose.METHODS:We retrospectively analyzed the radiation dose for all TIPS performed over a four-year period with transabdominal ultrasound guidance for PV puncture (n=212, with 210 performed successfully and data available for 206); fluoroscopy time, dose area product (DAP) and skin dose were recorded.RESULTS:Mean fluoroscopy time was 12 min 9 s (SD, ±14 min 38 s), mean DAP was 40.3±73.1 Gy·cm2, and mean skin dose was 404.3±464.8 mGy.CONCLUSION:Our results demonstrate that ultrasound-guided PV puncture results in low fluoroscopy times and radiation doses, which are markedly lower than the only published dose reference levels

Clinical Performance Status and Technical Factors Affecting Outcomes from Percutaneous Transhepatic Biliary Interventions; A Multicentre, Prospective, Observational Cohort Study.

Funder: British Society of Interventional RadiologyPURPOSE: The purpose of this study was to evaluate the predictive value of a 'Modified Karnofsky Scoring System' on outcomes and provide real-world data regarding the UK practice of biliary interventions. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A prospective multi-centred cohort study was performed. The pre-procedure modified Karnofsky score, the incidence of sepsis, complications, biochemical improvement and mortality were recorded out to 30 days post procedure. RESULTS: A total of 292 patients (248 with malignant lesions) were suitable for inclusion in the study. The overall 7 and 30 day mortality was 3.1% and 16.1%, respectively. The 30 day sepsis rate was 10.3%. In the modified Karnofsky 'high risk' group the 7 day mortality was 9.7% versus 0% for the 'low risk' group (p = 0.002), whereas the 30 day mortality was 28.8% versus 13.3% (p = 0.003). The incidence of sepsis at 30 days was 19% in the high risk group versus 3.3% at the low risk group (p = 0.001) CONCLUSION: Percutaneous biliary interventions in the UK are safe and effective. Scoring systems such as the Karnofsky or the modified Karnofsky score hold promise in allowing us to identify high risk groups that will need more careful consideration and enhanced patient informed consent but further research with larger studies is warranted in order to identify their true impact on patient selection and outcomes post biliary interventions

Is the meiofauna a good indicator for climate change and anthropogenic impacts?

Our planet is changing, and one of the most pressing challenges facing the scientific community revolves around understanding how ecological communities respond to global changes. From coastal to deep-sea ecosystems, ecologists are exploring new areas of research to find model organisms that help predict the future of life on our planet. Among the different categories of organisms, meiofauna offer several advantages for the study of marine benthic ecosystems. This paper reviews the advances in the study of meiofauna with regard to climate change and anthropogenic impacts. Four taxonomic groups are valuable for predicting global changes: foraminifers (especially calcareous forms), nematodes, copepods and ostracods. Environmental variables are fundamental in the interpretation of meiofaunal patterns and multistressor experiments are more informative than single stressor ones, revealing complex ecological and biological interactions. Global change has a general negative effect on meiofauna, with important consequences on benthic food webs. However, some meiofaunal species can be favoured by the extreme conditions induced by global change, as they can exhibit remarkable physiological adaptations. This review highlights the need to incorporate studies on taxonomy, genetics and function of meiofaunal taxa into global change impact research

Attitudes of Slaughter Industry Personnel Towards Animal Welfare

It has been widely reported that human attitudes towards animals can have a significant influence on human-animal interactions. In the slaughter industry, where individual people often handle and dispatch hundreds of animals daily, attitudes towards animals can have an important effect on animal welfare and product quality. This study was aimed at investigating attitudes of personnel working in the slaughter industry and the influences that gender, experience, role and previous welfare training may have on such attitudes. Between May 2017 and May 2018 all delegates attending the slaughter industry specific Animal Welfare Officer (AWO) and Poultry Welfare Officer (PWO) training courses run by the University of Bristol were invited to complete a questionnaire designed to collect both demographic and attitudinal information. A preliminary analysis of 150 questionnaires was carried out using ordinal regression, Mann Whiney U-tests and Kruskal-Wallis tests. Female participants (n=43) had more positive views on animal welfare questions when compared to male participants (n=102), however there were no differences in empathy scores between the genders. Those respondents with previous AWO/PWO training (n=44) felt there was ‘greater value in animal welfare training’ than those who had not previously attended the course (n=106). Respondents whose work was in an enforcement position (n=26) reported the greatest degree of emotional detachment from their role. However, a person’s role did not significantly affect their empathy scores or views on animal welfare as assessed using the questionnaire. Time spent in the industry did not significantly influence any of the responses. These preliminary findings suggest that gender has one of the most significant effects on attitudes of slaughter industry personnel towards animal welfare. It is interesting to note that none of the participants who handled animals on a daily basis were female, and the reasons for this may warrant further investigation. Having had previous welfare training positively influenced the perceived value of such training, suggesting that animal welfare training is viewed as a positive experience for personnel in the slaughter industry

The Challenge of Assessing Welfare in Abattoirs

Good welfare at slaughter is paramount not only in minimising suffering of animals but also in producing high quality meat and meat products. However assessing what actually constitutes good welfare in large commercial abattoirs continues to pose a significant challenge. Fundamental factors such as effects of transportation, reactions to novel environments and underlying commercial pressures make establishing a valid, reliable and feasible welfare assessment protocol difficult. Aspects of currently widely used welfare assessment frameworks, such as the Welfare Quality Assessment are not readily applicable or very difficult to measure in full in an abattoir environment. Accurately determining the welfare status of animals during the short period of time spent at the slaughterhouse has particular importance in evaluating the effect of welfare improvement measures. As part of the preliminary stages of a larger study we present a review of the literature regarding welfare assessment at slaughter and outline the processes involved to develop a novel welfare assessment protocol with a predominant focus on evaluating the human-animal interaction at the abattoir, and human operator attitudes to handling and treatment of the animals during their progress through the lairage and the slaughter process. It is planned that the assessment system developed will subsequently be used to assess and measure lairage and slaughter animal welfare outcomes, before, and after abattoir staff in a number of slaughter plants in the UK, and USA have received specific animal welfare

THE CHALLENGE OF ASSESSING WELFARE IN ABATTOIRS

Good welfare at slaughter is paramount not only in minimising suffering of animals but also in producing high quality meat and meat products. However assessing what actually constitutes good welfare in large commercial abattoirs continues to pose a significant challenge. Fundamental factors such as effects of transportation, reactions to novel environments and underlying commercial pressures make establishing a valid, reliable and feasible welfare assessment protocol difficult. Aspects of currently widely used welfare assessment frameworks, such as the Welfare Quality Assessment are not readily applicable or very difficult to measure in full in an abattoir environment. Accurately determining the welfare status of animals during the short period of time spent at the slaughterhouse has particular importance in evaluating the effect of welfare improvement measures. As part of the preliminary stages of a larger study we present a review of the literature regarding welfare assessment at slaughter and outline the processes involved to develop a novel welfare assessment protocol with a predominant focus on evaluating the human-animal interaction at the abattoir, and human operator attitudes to handling and treatment of the animals during their progress through the lairage and the slaughter process. It is planned that the assessment system developed will subsequently be used to assess and measure lairage and slaughter animal welfare outcomes, before, and after abattoir staff in a number of slaughter plants in the UK, and USA have received specific animal welfare

The Challenge of Assessing Welfare in Abattoirs

Good welfare at slaughter is paramount not only in minimising suffering of animals but also in producing high quality meat and meat products. However assessing what actually constitutes good welfare in large commercial abattoirs continues to pose a significant challenge. Fundamental factors such as effects of transportation, reactions to novel environments and underlying commercial pressures make establishing a valid, reliable and feasible welfare assessment protocol difficult. Aspects of currently widely used welfare assessment frameworks, such as the Welfare Quality Assessment are not readily applicable or very difficult to measure in full in an abattoir environment. Accurately determining the welfare status of animals during the short period of time spent at the slaughterhouse has particular importance in evaluating the effect of welfare improvement measures. As part of the preliminary stages of a larger study we present a review of the literature regarding welfare assessment at slaughter and outline the processes involved to develop a novel welfare assessment protocol with a predominant focus on evaluating the human-animal interaction at the abattoir, and human operator attitudes to handling and treatment of the animals during their progress through the lairage and the slaughter process. It is planned that the assessment system developed will subsequently be used to assess and measure lairage and slaughter animal welfare outcomes, before, and after abattoir staff in a number of slaughter plants in the UK, and USA have received specific animal welfare

Development of a novel welfare assessment protocol for use in cattle slaughterhouses

Measuring animal welfare at the time of slaughter is inherently difficult. Fundamental factors such as effects of transportation, reactions to novel environments and underlying commercial pressures pose significant challenges when establishing a valid, reliable and feasible welfare assessment protocol. However the need for such a protocol is paramount to allow effective welfare audits, to provide feedback to abattoirs and to enable the effects of welfare improvement measures, such as personnel training, to be quantified. As part of the preliminary stages of a larger study, a review of the literature regarding welfare assessment at slaughter was carried out. Protocols for welfare assessments for both commercial and experimental purposes were included, and this evaluation, when combined with a number of scoping visits to UK and USA slaughterhouses, was used to develop a protocol for assessing the welfare of cattle at the time of slaughter. In this presentation the assessment measures included in this protocol are outlined and the feasibility of its use in large commercial slaughterhouses is summarised based on trial welfare assessments carried out in UK slaughterhouses in the summer of 2017. It is planned that the assessment system developed will subsequently be used to assess and measure lairage and slaughter animal welfare outcomes in a number of slaughter plants in the UK, and USA. The protocol will be applied before, and after, abattoir staff have received specific animal welfare training to assess whether there are measurable effects on welfare outcomes after targeted training