Stress response of pigs during transport, lairage time and slaughter and its relationship to meat quality

Investigations were carried out on the stress pigs are exposed during transport, lairage time and slaughter and its influence on meat quality. The 40 min lorry transport was standardised as far as possible (day of week, time of the day, same lorry and lorry driver, route, pen on lorry and in lairage, resting time etc.). The pigs came from the same farm, 105-107 kg of weight. Two cross breeds were transported (PI x DL) and (PI x (DE x DL)). No homozygot positiv stress susceptible animals were found. Heart rate (HF) was measured continuously from home pen through to stunning. Blood samples for the analysis of catecholamines, cortisol and lactate were taken in home pen before transport as a control, after transport, and at the end of lairage time through indwelling catheters, layed 9 days before transport. The sample directly after stunning was taken from sticking blood. Cortisol trippled, catecholamines and lactate doubled compared to the control during transport. After the lairage time all three parameters were still 100% above the control values. The heart frequency rose from 80 beats/min (control without activity) to approximately 130 beats/min after lairage time to more than 200 beats/min during access to stunning. In the meat of animals showing adrenalin concentrations above 100 ng/l and heart frequencies higher than 120 beats/min during the lairage time lower ph(45)-values (0.3 resp. 0.2 from the control) were found. The standard deviation of most results are relatively high, indicating that there are many still insufficiently understand influences in the slaughterhouse process, in particular.