Assessment of pre-slaughter practices affecting goat welfare at abattoirs of Punjab and Sindh 

Year: 2022

Asfa Sakhawat 
University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences, Lahore, Pakistan 

Supervisor: Dr Rebecca Doyle, University of Edinburgh, UK 

HSA Student/Trainee Scholarship 2022 

With more than 82 million head in the national heard, Pakistan has the 4th largest national goat herd globally. The welfare of goats has had limited investigations at slaughterhouses in Pakistan, despite being a vital livestock sector for the country. This study aimed to address this by (1) evaluating the knowledge and understanding of animal welfare amongst stockpersons of the mutton value chain in Punjab and Sindh provinces in Pakistan; (2) evaluating stockpersons’ attitudes to changing practices to ameliorate pre-slaughter stress; and (3) assessing the welfare of goats slaughtered. 

The study involved a knowledge, attitude, and practices (KAP) survey questionnaire of male stockpersons (n = 120) regarding pre-slaughter welfare including transporters, unloaders, traders, veterinarians, and handler staff at three abattoirs in Punjab and three in Sindh. Responses were scored using a Likert scale. The live weight, health-based welfare parameters, and carcass characteristics of 600 goats were also collected. Survey results demonstrated that the mean knowledge score of stockpersons was 2.94/5 ± 0.02 (mean ± SE, with 5 being the highest knowledge score), while mean scores of their attitude and practices were 3.45 ± 0.02 and 3.18 ± 0.02 respectively. Binary regression of questionnaire survey suggests chain actors from Sindh hold lower levels of knowledge, especially at municipal (Government run) slaughterhouses. Of the 600 goats assessed, 75 % slaughtered were juvenile, 55% were male, > 50 % were ‘skinny’, 15 % had soiled coats, and 2% were lame. Overall, the mean dressing percentage was 50% and >10% bruises were found on goat carcasses at export abattoir. Binary logistic regression analyses will be used to explore the association between explanatory variables and KAP responses, and a similar approach will be used to assess associations between goat welfare scores and explanatory variables. 

The score for the parameters of animal welfare KAP was all above the median, but there is room to improve welfare, transportation, and handling practices. Preliminarily analyses indicate differences between facilities, indicating that training may need to be tailored, and worker KAP may be related to the type/approach of the facility. In future, we will analyse if these facilities or regional differences in KAP are also seen in goat welfare.