Proper Treatment of Hogs Prior to Stunning Is Humane and Makes Good Business Sense
Hogs should be treated appropriately prior to stunning and harvesting. Most any measure should be taken to keep the animals calm and to minimize stress.
How hogs are handled before stunning and harvesting has plenty to do with the quality of meat they yield after processing. A stressed hog could lead to pale, soft and exudative (PSE) pork, which costs the industry nearly $30 million annually, according to the National Pork Producers Council.
It doesn't take much to excite hogs, which are smart and sensitive animals. And because of modern breeding techniques and genetics, hogs are more nervous and hyper.
It goes without saying that packers and processors have their work cut for them when it comes to easing the temperament of a hog prior to stunning and harvesting. But the effort is worth it.
The best advice to keep a hog from becoming excited is to treat the animal humanely. "We train our crews on animal welfare issues," says Gregg Bevier, senior vice president of production operations for Princeton, Mo.-based Premium Standard Farms. "We talk to them about [the dangers of] abusing animals."
Temple Grandin, industry consultant and professor of animal science at Colorado State University, points out that hogs should never be placed in overcrowded pens. Fifteen hogs to a pen is a conservative number, but a safe method, Grandin notes.
A crowded pen will lead to increased aggression among hogs, which ultimately may slow the process of stunning and mar the quality of final product, Bevier adds,
And pens should be long and narrow, not square, a supplier says. "In square pens, hogs will run into a corner," the supplier adds.
Grandin admits that only 15 hogs to a pen could slow production. But she insists a slower process with the end result being quality product is less expensive than a rushed process with potential for PSE pork.
One supplier notes that the low-voltage prod should be used only as a last resort. If hogs need to be moved, the last hog in line in a pen should be pushed-not slapped-and the others in the herd will begin to move.
Grandin claims the hogs should never be slapped or physically abused. "They are very reactive to stimuli," she adds. "[Slapping the hogs] will only get them excited."
The trick is to move the hogs out of a pen in a slow-motion manner, Grandin notes. Sudden, jerky motions by guides will only startle them.
Proper ventilation is also crucial to the operation, Grandin points out.
"Nervous hogs are much more sensitive to small distractions," she says. "A big distraction is air blowing down a chute and into a pig's face."
Lighting is also important. Animals can be spooked by a sparkle on a wet floor or a jiggling piece of metal that reflects light. A hog may balk at its own reflection, Grandin says. "You must troubleshoot for all distractions that make hogs balk," she notes.
There are other subtleties to track, Bevier and Grandin point out. Premium Standard Farms' operation calls for the loading of animals on trucks only in the cool of the evening and the early morning hours. And the animals don't have to walk up a chute to the truck.
"We have a special loading vehicle that lifts the animals up to the truck. It's like putting them on an elevator," Bevier says.
Hogs arrive at Premium Standard Foods' plant in specially designed, single-deck trucks that unload at the sides, a procedure that is less stressful, Bevier claims. No coercion equipment is used to get the animals off the truck, Bevier says.
"We can load about 100 hogs between five and 10 minutes," he adds.
The animals should be well-rested-at least for two hours-after being unloaded from the trucks, Grandin says. Trucks should be scheduled for deliveries in accordance with the hogs' rest periods.
Timing is crucial to the entire operation prior to stunning. For instance, a group of hogs should not be ushered into chutes that are already occupied by another group or they will turn around and try to walk the opposite direction, creating confusion, Grandin adds.
Once in the restrainer, the hogs should not be able to see the floor, which should be dark in color, Grandin notes. This is also a calming technique.
Proper treatment of animals prior to stunning is a humane issue that affects product quality and overall business.
Strategies for lessening the stress induced on hogs before stunning should not be rushed, Grandin points out.