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Prevalence of severe welfare problems in horses that arrive at slaughter plants.
Abstract: To assess the prevalence of severe welfare problems in horses that arrive at slaughter plants and to identify horses that were unfit for travel. Methods: Prevalence survey. Methods: 1,008 horses. Methods: Horses arriving at 2 slaughter plants were observed. The following were rated severe welfare problems in horses: body condition scores of 1 or 2 (emaciated) of 9; recumbency (down) or the inability to walk; fractured limbs or other foot or limb problems that extremely impaired mobility; severe wounds, such as deep cuts, extensive lacerations, abrasions on the head or back, eye injuries, neglected purulent lesions, and numerous bite and kick marks over extensive areas of the body; and dead on arrival. Bruises on carcasses were tabulated to further assess injuries. Horses that had been loaded with a fractured limb, arrived nonambulatory, had severe lameness that interfered with mobility, were weak and emaciated, or were dead on arrival or died shortly after arrival were considered unfit for travel. Results: Ninety-two percent (930/1,008) of the horses arrived in good condition, and 7.7% (78) had a condition that was rated a serious welfare problem. Thirty horses (3%) had a body condition score of 1 or 2, 12 (1.0%) had foot and limb problems (other than fractures), 4 (0.4%) had fractured limbs, 18 (2.0%) had deep cuts, lacerations, or injuries from bites, 8 (0.8%) were nonambulatory or dead on arrival, 2 (0.2%) had deformities, 3 (0.3%) had extensive purulent lesions, and 1 (0.1%) had a behavior problem. Characteristic patterns of 51% of carcass bruises indicated that they were caused by bites or kicks. Fighting was the major cause of injuries that occurred during transport and marketing. Fifteen (1.5%) horses were unfit for travel. Abuse or neglect by owners was the cause of 77% of the severe welfare problems observed. Conclusions: To decrease the number of injuries that result from fighting when transporting horses to slaughter plants, aggressive mares and geldings that continually attack other horses must be segregated.
Publication Date: 1999-05-26 PubMed ID: 10340083 The Equine Research Bank provides access to a large database of publicly available scientific literature. Inclusion in the Research Bank does not imply endorsement of study methods or findings by Mad Barn.
- Journal Article
- Research Support
- U.S. Gov't
- Non-P.H.S.
Summary
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The research paper assesses the welfare conditions of horses brought to slaughter plants, focusing on identifying severe welfare problems as well as horses unfit for travel.
Objective and Methods
The aim of the study was to determine the extent of serious welfare issues among horses sent to slaughterhouses. The researchers observed 1,008 horses arriving at two different slaughter plants for the study.
The conditions corresponding to significant welfare problems included:
- Low body condition score indicating emaciation
- Recumbency or inability to walk
- Fractured legs or extremities impairing mobility
- Serious wounds like cuts, lacerations, eye injuries, and neglected purulent infections
- Large numbers of bite and kick marks
- Death upon arrival
The researchers also kept track of bruises on slaughtered carcasses as an additional way of identifying injuries. Conditions that were considered to render a horse unfit for travel included emaciation, immobility, severe lameness, and death upon or shortly after arrival.
Findings
The study found that 92% of the observed horses arrived in good condition. However, about 7.7% demonstrated severe welfare issues. The conditions ranged from poor body score and limb problems to severe wounds and death upon arrival. Half of the bruising on carcasses was inflicted by bites or kicks, signifying in-transit and marketing-related fights as leading causes of injuries. Approximately 1.5% of the horses were unfit for travel. The research revealed that most of the observed severe welfare problems (77%) stemmed from abuse or neglect by owners.
Conclusions and Recommendations
The study concludes that separation of aggressive horses during transport to slaughterhouses can significantly mitigate instances of fighting, thereby reducing related injuries. This approach is recommended for aggressive mares and geldings known to attack other horses. The findings also call for better enforcement of horse welfare regulations to prevent abuse and neglect, which were found to be the primary causes of severe welfare problems in the study.
Cite This Article
APA
Grandin T, McGee K, Lanier JL.
(1999).
Prevalence of severe welfare problems in horses that arrive at slaughter plants.
J Am Vet Med Assoc, 214(10), 1531-1533.
Publication
Researcher Affiliations
- Department of Animal Sciences, College of Argicultural Sciences, Colorado State University, Fort Collins 80523, USA.
MeSH Terms
- Abattoirs / statistics & numerical data
- Animal Welfare / statistics & numerical data
- Animals
- Horses
- Prevalence
- Texas / epidemiology
Citations
This article has been cited 14 times.- Fletcher KA, Padalino B, Felici M, Bigi D, Limon-Vega G, Grist A, Gibson TJ. Assessment of ante mortem welfare indicators and the pathophysiology of captive-bolt trauma in equids at slaughter. Anim Welf 2024;33:e65.
- Božić Jovanović V, Trailović R, Vićić I, Grković N, Radaković M, Karabasil N, Kaić A, Čobanović N. Influence of Loading Density and Gender on the Welfare and Meat Quality of Horses During Transport for Slaughter. Animals (Basel) 2024 Oct 24;14(21).
- Felici M, Nanni Costa L, Zappaterra M, Bozzo G, Di Pinto P, Minero M, Padalino B. Journeys, Journey Conditions, and Welfare Assessment of Broken (Handled) Horses on Arrival at Italian Slaughterhouses. Animals (Basel) 2022 Nov 12;12(22).
- Rowland M, Hudson N, Connor M, Dwyer C, Coombs T. The Welfare of Traveller and Gypsy Owned Horses in the UK and Ireland. Animals (Basel) 2022 Sep 13;12(18).
- Hemsworth LM, Jongman EC, Coleman GJ. The Human-Horse Relationship: Identifying the Antecedents of Horse Owner Attitudes towards Horse Husbandry and Management Behaviour. Animals (Basel) 2021 Jan 22;11(2).
- Hall C, Kay R, Green J. A Retrospective Survey of Factors Affecting the Risk of Incidents and Equine Injury During Non-Commercial Transportation by Road in the United Kingdom. Animals (Basel) 2020 Feb 12;10(2).
- Roy RC, Riley CB, Stryhn H, Dohoo I, Cockram MS. Infrared Thermography for the Ante Mortem Detection of Bruising in Horses Following Transport to a Slaughter Plant. Front Vet Sci 2018;5:344.
- Padalino B, Tullio D, Cannone S, Bozzo G. Road Transport of Farm Animals: Mortality, Morbidity, Species and Country of Origin at a Southern Italian Control Post. Animals (Basel) 2018 Sep 17;8(9).
- Riley CB, Noble BR, Bridges J, Hazel SJ, Thompson K. Horse Injury during Non-Commercial Transport: Findings from Researcher-Assisted Intercept Surveys at Southeastern Australian Equestrian Events. Animals (Basel) 2016 Oct 25;6(11).
- Padalino B, Hall E, Raidal S, Celi P, Knight P, Jeffcott L, Muscatello G. Health Problems and Risk Factors Associated with Long Haul Transport of Horses in Australia. Animals (Basel) 2015 Dec 10;5(4):1296-310.
- Roy RC, Cockram MS. Patterns and durations of journeys by horses transported from the USA to Canada for slaughter. Can Vet J 2015 Jun;56(6):581-6.
- Mejdell CM, Jørgensen GH, Rehn T, Fremstad K, Keeling L, Bøe KE. Reliability of an injury scoring system for horses. Acta Vet Scand 2010 Dec 31;52(1):68.
- Whiting TL. The United States' prohibition of horsemeat for human consumption: is this a good law?. Can Vet J 2007 Nov;48(11):1173-80.
- Whiting TL, Sauder RA. Headroom requirements for horses in transit. Can Vet J 2000 Feb;41(2):132-3.
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