Associations of carcass weight and trimming loss with cull dairy cow health observations collected at slaughter.
Cull dairy cows account for around 27 percent of total head EU beef and veal production. For the Netherlands specific, even 42 percent (European Commission, 2022). As they are primarily kept to produce milk, red meat production is an additional source of revenue for dairy farmers. Insights in postmo...
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2023-03-01
|
| Series: | Veterinary and Animal Science |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451943X23000029 |
| _version_ | 1811160174469054464 |
|---|---|
| author | R. Vlemminx M. Bouwknegt B. Urlings G. van Schaik |
| author_facet | R. Vlemminx M. Bouwknegt B. Urlings G. van Schaik |
| author_sort | R. Vlemminx |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Cull dairy cows account for around 27 percent of total head EU beef and veal production. For the Netherlands specific, even 42 percent (European Commission, 2022). As they are primarily kept to produce milk, red meat production is an additional source of revenue for dairy farmers. Insights in postmortem health observations that are not always visible on the living animal such as heart or liver issues, bruises, adhesions and injuries on the locomotor system, may contain valuable information for farmers to increase revenue and reduce losses in red meat production from cull dairy cows. Our goal was to obtain insights in the association of postmortem health observations with carcass weight and trimming losses. Data of 592,268 slaughter cows were available for analysis and models were built to explain carcass and trimming loss by the postmortem health observations. Carcass weight is lower for younger cows (-3.2 to -84.9 kg), cows with multiple health observations (-7.4 to -34.3 kg) and specific observations for the locomotor system (-16.7 to -22.7 kg), back (-17.9 kg), hindquarter (-21.6 kg) and chest and ribs (-15.5 to -27.6 kg). Total number of health observations (+2.0 to +6.5 kg), observations on the locomotor system (+3.3 to +5.4 kg) and on the chest and ribs (+2.2 to +9.8 kg) were the main predictors for trimming loss. Carcass weight is more affected by systemic health issues and diseases prior to slaughter leading to a negative energy balance and consequently reduced carcass weight. Trimming loss is more a consequence of the focus on meat quality and food safety in the slaughter process. Better understanding of the effect of on-farm management, on health, carcass weight and trimming loss will provide new insights for farmers and veterinarians but will also give them more action perspective to improve dairy farm preventive management and reduce losses at slaughter. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-10T05:53:08Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-a665cc7008b840fe988c33bca0429149 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2451-943X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-10T05:53:08Z |
| publishDate | 2023-03-01 |
| publisher | Elsevier |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Veterinary and Animal Science |
| spelling | doaj.art-a665cc7008b840fe988c33bca04291492023-03-04T04:23:25ZengElsevierVeterinary and Animal Science2451-943X2023-03-0119100285Associations of carcass weight and trimming loss with cull dairy cow health observations collected at slaughter.R. Vlemminx0M. Bouwknegt1B. Urlings2G. van Schaik3Quality Assurance and Public Affairs department, Vion, Boxtel, The NetherlandsQuality Assurance and Public Affairs department, Vion, Boxtel, The NetherlandsQuality Assurance and Public Affairs department, Vion, Boxtel, The NetherlandsRoyal GD, Deventer, The Netherlands; Faculty of Veterinairy Medicine, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands; Corresponding author at: Yalelaan 7, CL, Utrecht, 3584, The NetherlandsCull dairy cows account for around 27 percent of total head EU beef and veal production. For the Netherlands specific, even 42 percent (European Commission, 2022). As they are primarily kept to produce milk, red meat production is an additional source of revenue for dairy farmers. Insights in postmortem health observations that are not always visible on the living animal such as heart or liver issues, bruises, adhesions and injuries on the locomotor system, may contain valuable information for farmers to increase revenue and reduce losses in red meat production from cull dairy cows. Our goal was to obtain insights in the association of postmortem health observations with carcass weight and trimming losses. Data of 592,268 slaughter cows were available for analysis and models were built to explain carcass and trimming loss by the postmortem health observations. Carcass weight is lower for younger cows (-3.2 to -84.9 kg), cows with multiple health observations (-7.4 to -34.3 kg) and specific observations for the locomotor system (-16.7 to -22.7 kg), back (-17.9 kg), hindquarter (-21.6 kg) and chest and ribs (-15.5 to -27.6 kg). Total number of health observations (+2.0 to +6.5 kg), observations on the locomotor system (+3.3 to +5.4 kg) and on the chest and ribs (+2.2 to +9.8 kg) were the main predictors for trimming loss. Carcass weight is more affected by systemic health issues and diseases prior to slaughter leading to a negative energy balance and consequently reduced carcass weight. Trimming loss is more a consequence of the focus on meat quality and food safety in the slaughter process. Better understanding of the effect of on-farm management, on health, carcass weight and trimming loss will provide new insights for farmers and veterinarians but will also give them more action perspective to improve dairy farm preventive management and reduce losses at slaughter.http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451943X23000029Slaughter cattleCarcass weightTrimming lossPostmortem health observations |
| spellingShingle | R. Vlemminx M. Bouwknegt B. Urlings G. van Schaik Associations of carcass weight and trimming loss with cull dairy cow health observations collected at slaughter. Veterinary and Animal Science Slaughter cattle Carcass weight Trimming loss Postmortem health observations |
| title | Associations of carcass weight and trimming loss with cull dairy cow health observations collected at slaughter. |
| title_full | Associations of carcass weight and trimming loss with cull dairy cow health observations collected at slaughter. |
| title_fullStr | Associations of carcass weight and trimming loss with cull dairy cow health observations collected at slaughter. |
| title_full_unstemmed | Associations of carcass weight and trimming loss with cull dairy cow health observations collected at slaughter. |
| title_short | Associations of carcass weight and trimming loss with cull dairy cow health observations collected at slaughter. |
| title_sort | associations of carcass weight and trimming loss with cull dairy cow health observations collected at slaughter |
| topic | Slaughter cattle Carcass weight Trimming loss Postmortem health observations |
| url | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2451943X23000029 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT rvlemminx associationsofcarcassweightandtrimminglosswithculldairycowhealthobservationscollectedatslaughter AT mbouwknegt associationsofcarcassweightandtrimminglosswithculldairycowhealthobservationscollectedatslaughter AT burlings associationsofcarcassweightandtrimminglosswithculldairycowhealthobservationscollectedatslaughter AT gvanschaik associationsofcarcassweightandtrimminglosswithculldairycowhealthobservationscollectedatslaughter |