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Fasting Times in British Slaughter Pigs

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  21 November 2017

E.A. Bevis
Affiliation:
AFRC Institute of Food Research, Bristol Laboratory Langford, Bristol, BS18 7DY
P.D. Warriss
Affiliation:
AFRC Institute of Food Research, Bristol Laboratory Langford, Bristol, BS18 7DY
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Extract

A recent survey of the handling of commercial slaughter pigs suggested that many animals could experience long periods without food before they were killed. Because prolonged food deprivation is detrimental to carcass yield, meat quality and possibly the animals’ welfare, fasting times in pigs killed in four slaughter plants were assessed. Length of fast was estimated indirectly from the concentration of glycogen in the animals’ livers. The relationship between time of food withdrawal and liver glycogen was determined in laboratory experiments using 341 pigs killed after defined fasting periods ranging from 0 to 48h.

Type
Recent Developments in Pig Production
Copyright
Copyright © The British Society of Animal Production 1997

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References

Kelle, K.W., McGlone, J.J. & Gaskins, C.T. (1980) Journal of Animal Science 50, 336.Google Scholar
Sains, A.G. (1980) Pig Farming 28, (6), 40.Google Scholar
Warriss, P.D. & Bevis, E.A. (1986) British Veterinary Journal 142, 124.Google Scholar