Occurrence and Reasons for On-Farm Emergency Slaughter (OFES) in Northern Italian Cattle

Abstract

On-farm emergency slaughter (OFES) is employed when cattle are unfit for transport but still suitable for human consumption, thereby ensuring animal welfare and reducing food waste. This study analysed OFES patterns in Northern Italy, where a large cattle population is housed but information on the practice is rarely analysed. A total of 12,052 OFES cases from 2021 to 2023 were analysed. Most involved female cattle (94%) from dairy farms (79%). Locomotor disorders were the leading reason (70%), particularly trauma and fractures, followed by recumbency (13%) and calving-related issues (10%). Post-mortem findings showed limbs and joints as the most frequent condemnation sites (36%), often linked to trauma. A significant reduction in OFES cases occurred over time, mainly due to fewer recumbency and calving issues, likely reflecting stricter eligibility criteria introduced in 2022. Weekly variations, with peaks on Mondays and lows on Saturdays, suggest that logistical constraints may sometimes influence OFES promptness. These findings suggest that on-farm management and animal handling could be improved further to reduce welfare risks and carcass waste. Due to the lack of standardised data collection and regulatory harmonisation, a multi-country investigation could improve our understanding of this topic and inform best practice.

Keywords: animal welfare legislation; ante-mortem inspection; cattle mortality; locomotion disorders.

Figure 1

Flow chart summarising the decision-making process and the operations related to on-farm emergency slaughter (OFES) in Italy. The grey boxes show steps that were not pertinent to the study [30,31,32].

Figure 2

Histograms showing the distribution of 12,052 on-farm emergency slaughter (OFES) instances carried out on 1858 cattle farms in Northern Italy by (a) year; (b) season; and (c) day of the week.

Figure 3

Temporal trends in the categories and sub-categories of reasons for on-farm emergency slaughter (OFES) instances: (a) categories by year; (b) categories by season; (c) subcategories by year; (d) subcategories by season.

Figure 4

Distribution of the categories and subcategories of reasons for on-farm emergency slaughter (OFES) instances by farm production type and animal age group: (a) categories by production type; (b) categories by age group; (c) subcategories by production type; (d) subcategories by age group.

Figure 5

Associations between categories of reasons for on-farm emergency slaughter (OFES) and the outcome of post-mortem inspection in terms of exclusion reasons (a) and localisation (b). The size and colour of the dots represent the difference between observed and expected frequencies, indicating the contribution of each pair to the significant chi square tests.