Welfare during pre-slaughter handling and carcass lesions of beef cattle submitted to different loading densities

Inadequate pre-slaughter handling conditions can compromise animal welfare and productivity. This study aimed to evaluate the animal welfare (AW) indexes during pre-slaughter handling and quantify the carcass lesions of beef cattle submitted to different loading densities. A total of 270 Nellore cattle, at 30 months of age, from three farms were used in the study. Each farm presented a different loading density: higher density (500kg/m2), intermediate density (450kg/m2), and lower density (420kg/m2). Three shipments of cattle from each farm with 30 animals each were used in the AW analysis. Ten animals from each shipment were considered for quantification of carcass bruises. The AW indexes were classified according to the five-freedom criterion (physiological, environmental, sanitary, behavioral, and psychological). After slaughter, the carcasses were inspected in the routine line and evaluated for the presence of lesions. Statistically significant differences (p