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Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open Access
Published (Version of record)CC BY V4.0, Open
Journal article
Journeys, Journey Conditions, and Welfare Assessment of Unbroken (Unhandled) Horses on Arrival at a Slaughterhouse in Italy
Animals, Vol.12(16), pp.1-26
15/08/2022
PMCID: PMC9404719
PMID: 36009673
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Abstract
Transportation of horses to slaughterhouses can pose a welfare concern, in particular when horses are unbroken/unhandled. This study aimed to describe their journeys and journey conditions, document their welfare status on arrival in a slaughterhouse in Italy, and investigate possible associations between journey conditions and welfare issues. A total of 395 unbroken draft horses in 20 different consignments were assessed with a standardized protocol. The most common departure point (16/20 consignments, 80%) was a French assembly center, but many of these horses had Spanish passports, suggesting they had previously been transported from Spain to France. The average journey duration was 34 ± 14 h, including journey breaks (i.e., short stops inside the vehicle and long resting stops at control posts), while transit time was 24 ± 4 h. The drivers were well experienced, the trucks were well equipped (i.e., forced ventilation, drinkers), and the horses traveled loose in small groups (n ≤ 4 horses) within pens inside the vehicle. On arrival at the slaughterhouse, the horses self-unloaded and showed minimal behavioral and health problems. The prevalence of injuries, diarrhea/abnormal feces, and nasal discharge were 1.52%, 6.58%, and 4.30%, respectively. Cold temperatures, space allowance, and lack of feeding during transport were found to be the main hazards of those problems (all p < 0.05). Our findings confirm that the correct assessment of the fitness for transport, adequate journey conditions, and experienced staff are crucial factors to safeguard the welfare of unbroken horses during long journeys.
Details
- Title
- Journeys, Journey Conditions, and Welfare Assessment of Unbroken (Unhandled) Horses on Arrival at a Slaughterhouse in Italy
- Creators
- Martina Zappaterra - University of BolognaLeonardo Nanni Costa - University of BolognaMartina Felici - University of BolognaMichela Minero - University of MilanFrancesco Perniola - Veterinary Clinic 'La Fenice', 70029 Santeramo in Colle, ItalyDaniele Tullio - Azienda Sanitaria Locale Roma 3Barbara Padalino - University of Bologna
- Publication Details
- Animals, Vol.12(16), pp.1-26
- Publisher
- MDPI
- Number of pages
- 26
- Grant note
- PadalinoAnimalsAngels2020 / Animals' Angels PadalinoWHW / World Horse Welfare
- Identifiers
- 991013293550802368
- Copyright
- © 2022 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https:// creativecommons.org/licenses/by/ 4.0/).
- Academic Unit
- Faculty of Science and Engineering; Veterinary Science
- Language
- English
- Resource Type
- Journal article