Increased public attention to the impact of preslaughter livestock management methods on animal well-being, warrants the scientific community to address this issue through rigorous research and dissemination of findings. Continual reassessment of existing preslaughter livestock management methods under intensive, semi-intensive, and extensive production systems, applicable to all sizes of operations, through scientific research is essential. In addition, discovery of novel preslaughter practices and the tweaking of present methods, based on research data, is crucial for the continuous improvement of the welfare of meat animals.
Food animals are exposed to numerous stressors in any given production environment and, although most have been extensively studied, there may be some stressors that are yet to be recognized and addressed through research. Of particular importance, both from animal welfare and profitability viewpoints, is how livestock intended for meat production are managed during the 24 to 48 hour period prior to slaughter. During this phase, animals may be exposed to intense stressors in quick succession; such as handling, loading and unloading, feed and water deprivation, novel environments, uncomfortable temperatures and humidity, noise, vehicular vibration, social disruption, social isolation, etc. All of these can seriously affect the animal's wellbeing if not managed well. High animal care standards also enhance profitability and product quality. For example, methods that reduce injuries and stress in animals prior to slaughter can improve carcass and meat quality characteristics, by minimizing live weight shrinkage, carcass bruises, incidences of dark-cutters, and other meat quality defects. Certain dietary supplements have been found to have beneficial effects in enhancing both animal welfare and product quality.
The current body of work on animal well-being shows that researchers are using multiple assessment means, such as behavior, health, physiology, immunology, productivity, product quality, neural networks and other modelling methods, thermal imaging, facial recognition and artificial intelligence, and multi-omics approaches. For this collection, we are particularly interested in original research or review articles looking at:
- Animal well-being issues in the management of food animals, particularly preslaughter management
- Management methods that improve both animal welfare and product quality
- Novel assessment tools used to evaluate the welfare of livestock during transport
- Product quality as a measure of antemortem welfare status in animals
Increased public attention to the impact of preslaughter livestock management methods on animal well-being, warrants the scientific community to address this issue through rigorous research and dissemination of findings. Continual reassessment of existing preslaughter livestock management methods under intensive, semi-intensive, and extensive production systems, applicable to all sizes of operations, through scientific research is essential. In addition, discovery of novel preslaughter practices and the tweaking of present methods, based on research data, is crucial for the continuous improvement of the welfare of meat animals.
Food animals are exposed to numerous stressors in any given production environment and, although most have been extensively studied, there may be some stressors that are yet to be recognized and addressed through research. Of particular importance, both from animal welfare and profitability viewpoints, is how livestock intended for meat production are managed during the 24 to 48 hour period prior to slaughter. During this phase, animals may be exposed to intense stressors in quick succession; such as handling, loading and unloading, feed and water deprivation, novel environments, uncomfortable temperatures and humidity, noise, vehicular vibration, social disruption, social isolation, etc. All of these can seriously affect the animal's wellbeing if not managed well. High animal care standards also enhance profitability and product quality. For example, methods that reduce injuries and stress in animals prior to slaughter can improve carcass and meat quality characteristics, by minimizing live weight shrinkage, carcass bruises, incidences of dark-cutters, and other meat quality defects. Certain dietary supplements have been found to have beneficial effects in enhancing both animal welfare and product quality.
The current body of work on animal well-being shows that researchers are using multiple assessment means, such as behavior, health, physiology, immunology, productivity, product quality, neural networks and other modelling methods, thermal imaging, facial recognition and artificial intelligence, and multi-omics approaches. For this collection, we are particularly interested in original research or review articles looking at:
- Animal well-being issues in the management of food animals, particularly preslaughter management
- Management methods that improve both animal welfare and product quality
- Novel assessment tools used to evaluate the welfare of livestock during transport
- Product quality as a measure of antemortem welfare status in animals