Vet Med - Czech, 2023, 68(9):349-358 | DOI: 10.17221/85/2023-VETMED

The importance of slaughterhouses in monitoring the occurrence of tail biting in pigs – ReviewReview

M Svoboda1, N Hodkovicová2, A Siwicki3, W Szweda4
1 Ruminant and Swine Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Veterinary Sciences Brno, Brno, Czech Republic
2 Department of Infectious Diseases and Preventive Medicine, Veterinary Research Institute, Brno, Czech Republic
3 Department of Microbiology and Clinical Immunology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland
4 Department of Epizootiology, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Warmia and Mazury in Olsztyn, Olsztyn, Poland

Tail biting in pigs represents a very serious problem in modern pig farming, particularly with the intensification of the industry. It is considered a multifactorial syndrome and can be caused by various factors, leading to significant economic losses through reduced weight gain and partial or total condemnation of slaughtered carcasses due to secondary bacterial infections. The aim of this article is to summarise the current knowledge regarding tail biting in pigs, with a primary focus on the use of slaughterhouses for evaluating tail lesions and monitoring their prevalence. The introduction addresses the factors influencing the incidence of tail biting in pig farms and prevention strategies. Subsequent sections cover topics such as tail docking, the negative effects of pig tail biting, the advantages and drawbacks of examining tail lesions in slaughterhouses, and the methodical procedure for evaluating such lesions. Additionally, the article discusses the relationship between tail lesions and meat inspection findings, as well as the prevalence of tail lesions in various European countries.

Keywords: meat inspection; prevalence; tail lesions; scoring system

Received: August 22, 2023; Revised: September 20, 2023; Accepted: September 25, 2023; Prepublished online: September 28, 2023; Published: September 29, 2023  Show citation

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Svoboda M, Hodkovicová N, Siwicki A, Szweda W. The importance of slaughterhouses in monitoring the occurrence of tail biting in pigs – Review. Vet Med - Czech. 2023;68(9):349-358. doi: 10.17221/85/2023-VETMED.
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