What is it about?
This research aimed to quantify the various causes and incidence of carcass condemnations of beef carcasses in a high throughput commercial abattoir in South Africa.
Featured Image
Why is it important?
Carcass condemnations are problematic worldwide, but it is not well studied in South Africa. The cumulative incidence of partial and complete carcass condemnations was 9.5%. The most important causes were peritonitis and pleuritis, soiling and bruising. Almost half of these carcass condemnations were due to soiling and bruising, which can be addressed by implementing better abattoir management during transportation, pre-slaughter and lairage. The cumulative incidence of parafilaria occurred mostly in spring and summer. Measles, intramuscular haemorrhage and wet carcass syndrome occurred mostly in winter.
Perspectives
Beef is a sought-after, but relatively expensive source of animal protein. Carcass condemnations can be decreased by better transportation and slaughter conditions, which will improve yields and affordability of this important source if red meat.
Prof Edward Cottington Webb
University of Pretoria
Read the Original
This page is a summary of: Cumulative incidence and causal risk factors of carcass condemnations in a South African high-throughput cattle abattoir, South African Journal of Animal Science, April 2020, African Journals Online (AJOL),
DOI: 10.4314/sajas.v50i1.18.
You can read the full text:
Contributors
The following have contributed to this page
