This year, consumer interest has focused more than ever on “social responsibility” and sustainability for all industries, including agriculture. The media have been quick to publicize large meat recalls that are associated with humane handling or food safety concerns. Increasingly, consumers are looking closer at labels and becoming more aware of the potential (or perceived) advantages of making conscious choices. Included in these choices is an interest in knowing the welfare of the animals used for meat production. Labels such as “Animal Welfare Approved,” “Certified Humane Raised and Handled” and “American Humane Certified™” suggest that purchase of these products will provide assurances regarding the care and treatment of the animals. Does the welfare and humane treatment of food animals really affect the safety of the product? You bet!
From the moment of conception until the meal is served, producers and processors can provide the care, husbandry and attention to welfare that will assure the meat we eat is safe and nutritious, as well as accepted and appreciated by the consumer.
Defining Welfare
According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, the definition of welfare is “the state of doing well especially in respect to happiness and well-being.” The definition of humane is “marked by compassion, sympathy or consideration for humans or animals.” This said, the humane treatment of animals considers the happiness or well-being of the animal as it relates to human compassion. As a significant segment of society, “meat consumers are increasingly demanding that animals be reared, handled, transported and slaughtered using humane practices.”[1] The challenge these days is finding an interpretation of “humane” that will meet the expectations of the animal behaviorist, the agriculture industry, the consumer, consumer-interest groups, government agencies and, ultimately, the animal.
Meat Production The five freedoms
When considering the basic welfare needs of an animal, the most common definition is taken from the Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC), an independent advisory board established by the European government in 1979.
1. Freedom from Hunger and Thirst: by ready access to fresh water and a diet to maintain full health and vigor.
2. Freedom from Discomfort: by providing an appropriate environment, including shelter and a comfortable resting area.
3. Freedom from Pain, Injury or Disease: by prevention or rapid diagnosis and treatment.
4. Freedom to Express Normal Behavior: by providing sufficient space, proper facilities and company of the animal’s own kind.
5. Freedom from Fear and Distress: by ensuring conditions and treatment that avoid mental suffering.
Included with the definition of the five freedoms, the FAWC also emphasizes the importance of good stockmanship when rearing livestock and animals for meat or other use. “Stockmanship, plus the training and supervision necessary to achieve required standards, are key factors in the handling and care of livestock,” the FAWC’s web site states. “A management system may be acceptable in principle but without competent, diligent stockmanship, the welfare of animals cannot be adequately safeguarded. We lay great stress on the need for better awareness of welfare needs, for better training and supervision.”
Differences in intensive versus traditional production
As modern agriculture has evolved to feed large populations and to minimize the labor, real estate and economic resources required, global production has shifted from small-scale, single-family, multi-species farms to large-scale, single-species, intensive production operations. One of the most common production methods involves confinement operations where hundreds or thousands of animals may be raised in a single feedlot, facility or building. The use of confinement operations optimizes a producer’s ability to manage many animals in a single area; however, this method brings with it a need for management controls to minimize diseases and maximize the efficiency of the operation.
Groups that oppose industrial farming often criticize the modern intensive methods because of welfare, environmental and health concerns. As a meat scientist with more than 25 years of experience viewing production animals on their final day of life, my opinion is that, regardless of the method of raising meat animals, dairy livestock or poultry, the greatest contributor to humane handling is management practices. A conscientious and well-educated producer with competent, well-trained employees and modern, up-to-date facilities can produce a meat animal that would be considered by most consumers to have met the five freedoms of animal welfare. Achieving all of the parameters that must be considered requires an expert team of specialists on the subject of animal genetics, facility design, nutrition, handling, reproduction and veterinary care. In addition, today’s modern producer must possess a passion and love for the animals. I truly believe that the best producers respect and adore the animals they raise because the challenges faced are far too many for a disinterested manager to overcome!
Defining the Effects of Stress upon Meat and Milk
The quality and safety of the meat is greatly influenced by management of the stresses associated with production, transport and harvest. Minimizing pain, fear and injuries requires calm, quiet handling and can improve the following meat-related issues:
Dark cutting meat
Dark cutting meat occurs most frequently from pre-harvest stress. There is a depletion of muscle glycogen prior to harvest such that the pH of the meat remains high (>6.0) post-mortem. This higher pH causes an increase in light absorption and water-binding abilities and can result in a dark, firm, dry (DFD) surface. DFD meat can facilitate bacterial growth of microbial organisms that would be inhibited by a more normal meat pH of 5.6 to 5.8. The shelf life may well be reduced by the higher pH. Some of the common stresses that can cause dark cutting meat are heat stress, cold stress (body heat loss and shivering), large temperature fluctuations, extended periods of stress (greater than 10 hours), an extended time without feed and some growth promotants.
PSE pork and poultry
Pale, soft and exudative (PSE) pork or poultry is one of the most common results of animal stress and occurs just prior to harvest. When an animal experiences anxiety or agitation, muscles become tense; muscle glycogen is utilized, resulting in the formation of lactic acid in the meat. Because the animal is harvested before the lactic acid can be eliminated, a rapid drop in muscle pH occurs post-mortem (<5.5). The meat loses water-holding capacity, the muscle bundles have an open texture and reflect light, creating meat that appears pale and watery. There is a greater drip loss associated with PSE meat, which can also provide moisture for microbial growth, and thus PSE meat can have a reduced shelf life. As well, when the meat is cooked and consumed, this “drip loss” can cause a dryer, tougher product. The most common causes of PSE in meat are the presence of the porcine stress syndrome (PSS) gene in pigs, rough handling, the use of an electric prod and environmental temperature fluctuations, especially as temperatures rise.
Blood spotting
Blood spotting or blood splash occurs in the meat when capillaries are ruptured prior to complete bleeding of the animal. The meat appears to have small pink or red spots on the muscle surface. These pinpoint hemorrhages can be caused by excessive restraint, surface abrasions, poor stunning, increased stress just prior to stunning, slow or ineffective bleeding and some dietary factors such as low levels of selenium or vitamin E. Blood splash is considered a cosmetic defect, although blood spots have a higher pH and can provide an ideal medium for bacterial growth in the meat.
Bruising
Bruising can occur if animals are highly excited. Nervous animals are more likely to run, slip, fall or bang into gates, doors or other animals. Rough handling during transport or handling in pens, chutes and stun boxes can also cause bruising. It is a regulatory requirement to remove bruises from meat; however, it is possible that whole-muscle cuts could contain hemorrhages that would not be detected by employees during fabrication of meat cuts. Internal bruising can reduce the shelf life of meat due to the higher pH of the blood.
Dairy somatic cell count in milk
History has proven that rough handling of dairy cows lessens the flow of milk and can also increase the microbial count in the milk. A recent study performed by Fulwider et al.[2] found that dairies with a higher percentage of cows that either approached or touched the observer had lower somatic cell counts in the milk. A previous study indicated that reducing fear in dairy cows can increase milk yield by up to 10%.[3] Translation: dairy cows that are comfortable around people show less fear and can produce more high-quality milk.
Immune system response
Studies indicate that short-term stresses and long-term, chronic pain increase cortisol levels and can greatly reduce the body’s immune function. A lowered immune system allows common enteric pathogens and somatic cells to flourish. The outcome can be infections such as laminitis, lesions, mastitis and other bacterially related illnesses. This stress also can facilitate fecal shedding of enteric pathogens such as Salmonella, Campylobacter and E. coli O157:H7. All of these pathogens have been linked to foodborne illness outbreaks from raw meat products.