Tail biting is related to respiratory disease at a herd level but not at an individual level

The primary function of meat inspection is the protection of public health. However, there are little data available with primary relevance to animal health or welfare. Carcass tail lesions have potential as ‘iceberg’ indicators of pig health and welfare on farm. The aim of this study was to assess the relationships between tail lesions and viscera condemnations in an Irish abattoir.

The following data were collected at the evisceration point from every 3rd pig slaughtered over 7 days: farm identification, sex, tail lesion score and viscera inspection outcome. Tail lesions were scored according to a 0 to 4 point scale. Disease lesions responsible for lung (pleurisy, pneumonia and abscess), heart (pericarditis) and liver (ascariasis) condemnation were recorded based on the decision of the Veterinary inspector (VI). Data on 3,143 pigs from 61 batches were available. The relationship between disease and tail lesions was studied at individual carcass and batch level.

Tail lesions (score ≥ 1) were found in 72% of the study population, with 2.3% affected by severe tail lesions (scores ≥ 3). Pleurisy (13.7%) followed by pneumonia (10.4%) showed the highest disease prevalence, whereas ascariasis showed the greatest variation between batches (0 to 75%). Tail lesion score was associated with condemnations due to pleurisy, pneumonia and pleuropneumonia (P ≤ 0.05) at a batch level but not at an individual level. VI shift was associated with condemnations for pneumonia, pleuropneumonia and pericarditis (P ≤ 0.05) at a carcass level, and with pneumonia at a batch level. Sex was not associated with viscera condemnation but males were more likely to be affected by tail lesions (P ≤ 0.05).

The relationship between overall tail lesion score and condemnations due to lung disease supports the relationship between poor health and poor welfare of pigs on farms and reinforces the potential use of post mortem meat inspection as a health and welfare diagnostic tool. The association at batch but not at individual level suggests shared risk factors for health and welfare problems affecting pig herds. The association with VI shift suggests that the identification and classification of certain diseases is inconsistent between VI.

Disclosure of Interest: None Declared.