Slaughtering of heifers in a local or an industrial abattoir: animal welfare and meat quality consequences.

The aim of the study was to compare stress response and meat quality related to two abattoirs types. Pirenaica heifers were slaughtered in a small-scale local abattoir (LOC, n = 8) or in a large-scale industrial abattoir (IND, n = 8). The two groups differed in terms of transport distance and duration, waiting time, stunning to slaughter time, facilities, handling and processing conditions. Blood parameters showed higher levels of glucose, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio, and neutrophils in animals slaughtered at the IND compared to the LOC, but cortisol levels were high in both groups. Meat colour from the LOC treatment was lighter, less red, yellow and saturated and had a greater hue angle than the IND, but colour deterioration showed a similar trend. LOC samples had lower shear force values and better eating quality compared to IND samples at day 11 of ageing. This study shows that slaughtering animals in small abattoirs,...