{"status":"ok","message-type":"work","message-version":"1.0.0","message":{"indexed":{"date-parts":[[2026,4,3]],"date-time":"2026-04-03T14:12:14Z","timestamp":1775225534428,"version":"3.50.1"},"reference-count":104,"publisher":"MDPI AG","issue":"6","license":[{"start":{"date-parts":[[2021,6,5]],"date-time":"2021-06-05T00:00:00Z","timestamp":1622851200000},"content-version":"vor","delay-in-days":0,"URL":"https:\/\/creativecommons.org\/licenses\/by\/4.0\/"}],"content-domain":{"domain":[],"crossmark-restriction":false},"short-container-title":["Foods"],"abstract":"<jats:p>The increase in the slaughter of pregnant cows (SPCs) for meat (except as may be approved by veterinarians on health grounds to salvage the animal) is unethical. SPCs for meat is also counterproductive, detrimental to food security, and may enhance zoonotic disease transmission. In this context, therefore, this current study examined slaughter conditions and the slaughtering of pregnant cows, and the implications for meat quality, food safety, and food security in Southeast Nigeria. The direct observational method was employed to examine the slaughterhouse activities, from when the cattle arrived at the lairage to the post-slaughter stage. A pre-tested and validated closed-ended-questionnaire was used to elicit information on causes of the SPCs and the method of disposal of eviscerated foetuses. Pregnancy status of cows slaughtered was determined by palpation followed by visual examination of the eviscerated and longitudinal incised uteri. The study lasted for six months during which 851 cows out of 1931 slaughtered cattle were surveyed. Assessment\/decision-making protocol of slaughterhouse conditions, welfare conditions of slaughter-cattle, reasons for sale or slaughter of pregnant cows, distribution of pregnant cows slaughtered, method of disposal of eviscerated foetuses, and estimated economic losses of SPCs were delineated. Of the 851 cows examined, 17.4% (148\/851) were pregnant while 43.2% (64\/148) of the total foetuses recovered were in their third trimester. Major reasons adduced for SPCs by proportion of involved respondents were: ignorance of the animals\u2019 pregnancy status (69.7%, 83\/119), high demand for beef (61.3%, 73\/119), preference for large-sized cattle (47.9%, 57\/119), economic hardship (52.1%, 62\/119) and diseases conditions (42.9%. 51\/119). The conduct of SPCs for meat would not be profitable. This is because within six months, an estimated loss of about 44,000 kg of beef, equivalent to \u20a6 70.1 million or $186,400 would be associated with SPCs and the consequential foetal wastages. If losses were to be replicated nationwide across slaughterhouses, 4.3 tons of beef estimated at \u20a6 8.6 billion or $23 million would be wasted. Improving slaughter conditions and the welfare of slaughter-cattle in Nigerian slaughterhouses through advocacy, training of slaughterhouse workers, and strict implementation of laws promoting humane slaughter practices is imperative. Preventing SPCs for meat and inhumane slaughter practices at the slaughterhouse would enhance the welfare needs of slaughter cattle, grow the national herd size, and improve meat safety as well as food security.<\/jats:p>","DOI":"10.3390\/foods10061298","type":"journal-article","created":{"date-parts":[[2021,6,6]],"date-time":"2021-06-06T23:59:55Z","timestamp":1623023995000},"page":"1298","update-policy":"https:\/\/doi.org\/10.3390\/mdpi_crossmark_policy","source":"Crossref","is-referenced-by-count":13,"title":["Slaughter Conditions and Slaughtering of Pregnant Cows in Southeast Nigeria: Implications to Meat Quality, Food Safety and Security"],"prefix":"10.3390","volume":"10","author":[{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-1495-824X","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ugochinyere J.","family":"Njoga","sequence":"first","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Obstetrics and Reproductive Diseases, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka 410001, Nigeria"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-2333-7584","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Emmanuel O.","family":"Njoga","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka 410001, Nigeria"}]},{"given":"Obichukwu C.","family":"Nwobi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Veterinary Public Health and Preventive Medicine, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka 410001, Nigeria"}]},{"given":"Festus O.","family":"Abonyi","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Health and Production, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Nigeria, Nsukka 410001, Nigeria"}]},{"given":"Henry O.","family":"Edeh","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Science, Faculty of Agriculture, University of Nigeria, Nsukka 410001, Nigeria"}]},{"given":"Festus E.","family":"Ajibo","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Health and Production, Enugu State Polytechnic, Iwollo 401139, Nigeria"}]},{"given":"Nichodemus","family":"Azor","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Department of Animal Health and Production, Enugu State Polytechnic, Iwollo 401139, Nigeria"}]},{"given":"Abubakar","family":"Bello","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, 50-375 Wroc\u0142aw, Poland"}]},{"given":"Anjani K.","family":"Upadhyay","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Heredity Healthcare & Lifesciences, 206-KIIT TBI, Patia, Bhubaneswar, Odisha 751024, India"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-4475-8887","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Charles Odilichukwu R.","family":"Okpala","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, 50-375 Wroclaw, Poland"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0002-0300-0407","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Ma\u0142gorzata","family":"Korzeniowska","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"Faculty of Biotechnology and Food Sciences, Wroclaw University of Environmental and Life Sciences, 50-375 Wroclaw, Poland"}]},{"ORCID":"https:\/\/orcid.org\/0000-0003-0595-6805","authenticated-orcid":false,"given":"Raquel P. F.","family":"Guin\u00e9","sequence":"additional","affiliation":[{"name":"CERNAS Research Centre, Polytechnic Institute of Viseu, 3504-510 Viseu, Portugal"}]}],"member":"1968","published-online":{"date-parts":[[2021,6,5]]},"reference":[{"key":"ref_1","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"380","DOI":"10.1111\/1541-4337.12417","article-title":"Stress Effects on Meat Quality: A Mechanistic Perspective","volume":"18","author":"Xing","year":"2019","journal-title":"Compr. Rev. Food Sci. Food Saf."},{"key":"ref_2","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","first-page":"918","DOI":"10.14202\/vetworld.2021.918-925","article-title":"Association between animal welfare indicators and microbiological quality of beef carcasses, including Salmonella spp., from a slaughterhouse in Ecuador","volume":"14","author":"Lema","year":"2021","journal-title":"Veter. World"},{"key":"ref_3","doi-asserted-by":"crossref","unstructured":"Okpala, C., Nwobi, O., and Korzeniowska, M. (2021). 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