Selection of Meat Inspection Data for an Animal Welfare Index in Cattle and Pigs in Denmark.

ABSTRACT: National welfare indices of cattle and pigs are constructed in Denmark, and meat inspection data may be used to contribute to these. We select potentially welfare-relevant abattoir recordings and assess the sources of variation within these with a view towards inclusion in the indices. Meat inspection codes were pre-selected based on expert judgement of having potential animal welfare relevance. Random effects logistic regression was then used to determine the magnitude of variation derived at the level of the farm or abattoir, of which farm variation might be associated with welfare, whereas abattoir variation is most likely caused by differences in recording practices. Codes were excluded for use in the indices based on poor model fit or a large abattoir effect. There was a large abattoi

SUBMITTER: Nielsen SS 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5742788 | biostudies-literature | 2017 Dec

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature