Slaughter of pregnant cattle in German abattoirs – current situation and prevalence: a cross-sectional study

BMC Veterinary Research

Research Article

Katharina Riehn¹  Ernst Lücker²  Patric Maurer² 

[1] Faculty of Life Sciences, Hamburg University of Applied Sciences, Ulmenliet 20, 21033, Hamburg, Germany;Institute of Food Hygiene, Centre of Veterinary Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Leipzig, An den Tierkliniken 1, 04103, Leipzig, Germany;

关键词: Veterinary public health;    Animal welfare;    Pregnancy;    Gravid cattle;    Foetus;    Abattoir;    Slaughterhouse;    Consumer protection;   

DOI  :  10.1186/s12917-016-0719-3

 received in 2014-11-23, accepted in 2016-06-01,  发布年份 2016

来源: Springer

【 摘 要 】

BackgroundThe slaughter of pregnant cattle and the fate of the foetuses are relatively new subjects in the field of animal welfare. The Scientific Committee on Veterinary Measures relating to Public Health (SCVPH), however, does not believe this topic to be a critical issue because of the hitherto supposed rare occurrence of this practice. Some previous studies though, contradict this assessment, emphasising its relevance to animal welfare. With regard to the heterogeneous study design of previous investigations, the objective of this study is to evaluate the current situation concerning the slaughter of pregnant cattle in different German abattoirs. Additionally, the prevalence was assessed semi-quantitatively on the basis of a cross-sectional, voluntary and anonymous survey that was conducted amongst senior veterinary students of the University of Leipzig from 2010 until 2013.ResultsOf 255 evaluable questionnaires, 157 (63.6 %) mention the slaughter of pregnant cattle, corresponding to 76.9 % of all visited abattoirs. Slaughter of pregnant cattle is reported often (>10 % of females) in 6 (3.8 %), frequently (1–10 % of females) in 56 (35.7 %), and rarely (<1 % of females) in 95 (60.5 %) of all cases (n = 157) respectively. About 50 % of these animals were reported to be in the second or third stage of gestation. 15 (10.6 %) of 142 questionnaires providing information about the foetus, state that the foetus showed visible vital signs after the death of the mother, but in one case the foetus was euthanized subsequently.ConclusionsThe results show that the slaughter of pregnant cattle is a common and widespread practice in German abattoirs. The SCVPH’s assumption that pregnant cattle are only slaughtered in rare exceptional cases can no longer be maintained. The high proportion of foetuses in the second and third gestational stage must also be considered. In this context the implementation of suitable studies and detailed analysis of the current situation is indispensable to ensure the high standards in animal welfare in Germany and Europe.

【 授权许可】

CC BY   
© Maurer et al. 2016