Context

The meat production sector, including producers, transporters and slaughterhouses is subject to constant public attention, and its practices are being called into question from the perspective of animal welfare. Improving pre-slaughter management guidelines will not only improve animal welfare, but can also help improve the quality of the meat and the public perception of fattening calf production.
Meat quality may be negatively affected by pre-slaughter conditions. Pre-slaughter involves all the changes in conditions and activities that take place prior to slaughter, including changes in environmental temperature, the loading and unloading of calves on the farm and at the slaughterhouse, their transportation, mixing of animals, the waiting time at the slaughterhouse, the type of slaughter, etc. Many studies show that the stress that animals experience during these changes of conditions and activity varies depending on their duration and intensity, and increases the negative effects on meat. Stress and physical activity deplete muscle glycogen, leading to an increase in pH that changes in the physical appearance of the meat, leading to meat that is DFD (dark, firm and dry). However, very little information is available on the relationship between pre-slaughter factors and the appearance of petechiae in meat. This has led us to the WELBEEF project, which aims to produce pre-slaughter management guidelines for improving animal welfare and meat quality.