Aversive treatment and meat quality in pork

Abstract

The aim of the project is to compare the behaviour indicative of stress and meat quality in pigs housed in intensive confined system, according to the quality of treatment received. For this, 192 piglets will be separate in three groups with different treatments: 1) Aversive (TA): the person responsible for treatment will be rude with the animals, will use an aggressive tone of voice and move harshly and unpredictably; 2) Rational (TR): the person responsible for this treatment will be careful to move around and will use a soft tone of voice; 3) Mixed: the animals will be treated with TA during maternity and nursery, and will be treated with TR during growing-finishing phase. Animals will be weaning at 28 days and tested to assess fear and if they can recognize their usual handler. At each phase change, behaviour time budgets will be registered by scan sampling every 3-min. This behaviour observation will also be held at the transport and pre-slaughter of animals. After slaughter, meat quality will be analysed in relation to pH, temperature, colour, drip loss, water holding capacity and lean meat. Variables such as cortisol, lactate, creatine phosphokinase, lesions in the pre-slaughter carcass, weight gain, consumption of water and food will also be assessed. The experimental design is randomized and to analyse the data, will be used GLM procedure of SAS statistical program. Is expected to find a negative effect on meat quality and an increase of behaviours indicative of stress in piglets treated in an aversive way. (AU)