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Review
. 2025 May 5:34:e29.
doi: 10.1017/awf.2025.26. eCollection 2025.

Guinea pig meat production in South America: Reviewing existing practices, welfare challenges, and opportunities

Gustavo Donoso  1 , Juan Sebastián Galecio  2 , Oscar Giovanny Fuentes-Quisaguano  3 , Monique Pairis-Garcia  1
Affiliations
Review

Guinea pig meat production in South America: Reviewing existing practices, welfare challenges, and opportunities

Gustavo Donoso et al. Anim Welf. .

Abstract

Guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) have been consumed and revered in South American countries since precolonial times and continue to serve as both an important protein source and an economic driver for underserved and remote communities in the region. However, currently, there is limited peer-reviewed research on the welfare status of these animals in meat production systems. This scoping review seeks to provide an overview of guinea pig meat production in the region, highlighting potential welfare challenges and exploring opportunities to advance animal welfare practices within these systems.

Keywords: Animal husbandry; Five Domains; Latin America; animal welfare; cavy production; food animals; traditional livestock.

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Conflict of interest statement

None.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
Common guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) breeds used for meat production showing (A) the Peru breed, characterised by its bi- or tri-colour pattern coat composed primarily of orange and white, (B) the Andina breed characterised by a full body white coat and (C) the Inti breed characterised by a full body golden or yellow coat.
Figure 2.
Figure 2.
Handling of a medium-sized, meat production guinea pig (Cavia porcellus) showing (A) side view, (B) ¾ view and (C) back view.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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