Tips for stress-free livestock transporting.

Tips for stress-free livestock transporting. Livestock transportation should result in as little stress to the animals as possible, whether they are being transported to the abattoir or other farms. Stress your livestock while transporting them and you are likely to end up with unnecessary weight loss, or even bruises or other injuries that could lead to disease, carcass rejections or even mortalities. 

Stress during transportation also has a negative impact on meat quality, which will affect your profits in the long term. According to Dr Dirk Verwoerd, a veterinarian at Karan Beef, animals inevitably lose some weight during transportation, as they do not eat or drink during the trip. 

The main goal, however, is to ensure that they do not lose weight due to dehydration. “It’s difficult to give a fixed answer for acceptable weight loss during transportation, as you have to take into account the type of animal as well as its age and condition at the start of the journey,” says Dirk. However, it is generally accepted that six- to eight-month-old beef weaners can lose up to 3% of their body weight during the first 100km and another 1% for each additional 100km. 

 “The initial losses are mainly due to gastro-intestinal content and urine,” explains Dirk. Depending on the condition of the cattle at the start of a trip, and their age, a loss of 8% to 10% of body weight should raise a red flag. A figure such as this indicates that weight loss is caused by intra-cellular dehydration. Because they are ruminants, cattle usually have enough food in their stomachs to last two days without eating, says Dirk.

How to reduce ammonia pollution in a cattle ranch.

A new study provides a list of techniques and technologies that could provide the greatest reductions in ammonia emissions in cattle ranch.These techniques can reduce emissions by 17% to 50% which include improved barn design, cleaning processes, and manure treatment . 

 The study published in the journal Science of the Total Environment provided a list of the techniques and technologies that could provide the greatest reductions in ammonia emissions.

The new study assesses the emissions reduction potential of a number of techniques, such as floor scraping, flushing with water, manure acidification, and using different types of flooring Ammonia pollution in general have impacts on both the environment and human health, it can lead to algal blooms in freshwater, threatening aquatic wildlife, and contribute to smog that damages human health. In northwestern Europe, dairy cattle are usually housed in large barns, where they are kept loose, and manure, which is the source of ammonia emissions, is removed and stored in a pit beneath the barn. 

A number of factors contribute to how much ammonia escapes from the manure into air, including chemical processes, temperature, and air flow. Mendes and colleagues approached the problem using a model of ammonia emissions that was designed to calculate the ammonia emission reductions potential of new or adapted dairy cattle barns. It incorporates management technologies and processes designed to reduce pollution.

AGRIBUSINESS: TUBERCULOSIS AND FOOD SAFETY.

When such cases are encountered during meat inspection,the organs are condemned.The carcass is condemned to if the lesions are generalized.

SLAUGHTERING PROCESS IN AN ABATTOIR.

TUBERCULOSIS: A CASE SCENARIO IN ABATTOIR.

CATTLE HIDE .

This is actually a delicacy in certain parts of the world.This could be a public health risk if the hide is diseased,as the processing method might taint the look. rs. These set of pictures shows processed hide confiscated when observed to be unfit for human consumption. Check it before you buy it!!! examine before you consume!!!

MEATY LIVER IN CATTLE.

LIVER ABSCESS.

LIVESTOCK INSURANCE AND INDUSTRIALIZATION.

              LIVESTOCK INSURANCE AND INDUSTRIALIZATION.

  Agric insurance is important for the growth and development of the agricultural sector in any economy. The essence of agric insurance is to protect farmers from losses resulting from hazards such as accidents, death of livestock, condemnation of carcass, flood,fire,pest,disease and emergency control measures such as in case of outbreaks of African swine fever,bird flu e.t.c

 Agric insurance is also relevant in abattoir operations,with particular reference to condemnation of carcasses,organs in disease conditions and transportation accident.

 The benefits of insurance are enormous,aside the monetary compensation, there is access to professionals who over- see the project. Certified animals are procured to start the project,data of farmers collected..This  encourages proper record keeping and disease control measures.

 When animal husbandry projects are insured,there will be proper management ,food safety will be enhanced and wholesome products will be in our market.

The fear of running at a loss is the reason why producers cut corners, avoid the necessary management protocol such as vaccination,reporting outbreaks,processing dead animals. This results use of unconventional feeding practices and unauthorized drugs in production to attain market weight early.


The possibility of export will increase, if there is a structure that ensure compliance to international standards. This will ensure rapid industrialization in that sector which will promote economic growth.

The agric insurance sector though a growing industry,still has a lot to do to encourage farmers to insure their businesses. A large percentage of farmers dont access this opportunity , because of lack of proper knowledge of the policy.


This is to their detriment and to the loss of the economy on a larger scale.The farmers /producers need financial bodies to work with them,to give soft landing in case of loss and to pay commensurate compensations in cases of emergency control of diseases.

 The farmers cant access certain loans because they are not insured; premium are not fixed and certain diseases are not included in the policies.

FOOD FRAUD IN THE RED MEAT INDUSTRY.

Pictures above shows how #butchers cut corners, holes made in the carcass and filled with water to make up desired weight requested by customers. This practice is also done with the lungs, these are inflated and water is poured to increase the weight.

FOOD FRAUD IN BEEF PROCESSING PLANT.

Beef processing and handling is riddled with a lot of challenges, ranging from lack of insurance policy to lack of compensation to butchers who have their animals condemned.

The food industry has faced with a lot of challenges and all hands must be on deck to ensure that the proper protocols are enforced. The food fraud saga rocking some countries has resulted in several food recalls and a larger percentage of the populace are changing their dietary preferences. 

Sharp practices are employed by processors to ensure they make profit to the detriment of consumers. 

 Have you gone to the market to buy beef weighing a particular KG,but when you leave on kitchen unit you discover a reduction in size? or you cut up the beef and when its done you discover a dramatic reduction? well!!! welcome to food fraud arena. 

The carcass is usually punctured and water is poured in the carcass to increase the weight.When you ask processors to supply beef at a particular weight,they simply add water to make up for the short fall and break even. #change it # new paradigm # better processing # meat inspection laws.# new breed butchers.

BEEF PROCESSING AND POINTS OF CONTAMINATION./INFECTION.

Beef processing could be done manually or in slaughtering lines,but however you choose to slaughter basic hygiene principles must be observed. Water is an essential resource in any meat processing plant.Water is needed in all the processing segments to ensure that the beef is wholesome and fit for human consumption.The source of water must be clean,portable ..The source is basically pipe-borne water fully treated to ensure that any pathogen is destroyed,pipes must be checked to ensure its not burs ted or have any underground access to sewage. Water is usually used at high pressure to hose the animal down as they are brought into the slap,then every aspect of the processing is interrupted with hosing down before moving to next stage. Transportation to the market is another point of contamination; when processed beef are exposed and transported in dirty basins or carried in dirty wheel barrows.The beef when in transit should be not be tied up in bags,as the heat generated will be a breeding ground for pathogens to thrive.The heat generated will also facilitate spoilage of the beef,resulting in sale of spoiled beef in the market. Beef processing should be carried out in clean environment and transported in clean vehicles that are properly aerated with cooling facilities.Beef should be hung on rails in the vans,to ensure no part of the beef is heated up.This will prevent spoilage of beef before arrival in shops.

WASTE AND WASTE MANAGEMENT IN ABATTOIR.

The ruminal contents are collected and left to dry and then used as land fills or vegetable garden. These waste can be collected and passed to bio digester which can be used to generate power. This will keep environment clean, safe and slaughter-zone hygienic.

PIG ABATTOIR.

The abattoir should be situated in well drained area with a good gradient to allow easy run off of waste. The abattoir should be easily accessible with good roads, electricity and close proximity to market.A generator is a necessity in the abattoir,with good supply of portable water. The abattoir should be fitted with overhead rails which have water hose and sprinklers to wash carcass at every slaughtering stage.The walls are tilled to allow easy cleaning and disinfection, the floor is made of cement or concrete so that its easy to wash and disinfect. Raising pigs for profit can be more profitable if a mini abattoir or slaughter house is incorporated in the production chain. A very simple procedure with the use of pulleys/ levers can be used to slaughter pigs in an hygienic way with minimal exposure to contamination. The skin of the pig is not removed as this is eaten along with the meat, with the skin intact much of the meat is not exposed. The hair on the skin is removed by scalding in hot tanks which is at a temp of 60-62°c. The simple sketch shows how the slaughtering is carried out, at the end of the slaughtering process, the carcass are passed on to the processing room, where the cut parts are packed into clean bags for sale.

Agric financing for chicken abattoir.

Farmers just like any other business,may need to lean on a financial arm for support at a point in time.Many farmers dont know the opportunities they have to access these facilities, or how to access them and grow. Farming is a lucrative venture duly supported by government,financial giants,cooperative bodies and micro finance schemes. Agricultural loans are of various types , can be accessed at various levels and have different amounts as per the size of the project.These loans can be accessed corporately or as individuals,depending on amount involved,most of these loans can only be accessed when the farm has an insurance cover. Agricultural loans and agricultural insurance are intertwined,you cannot do one without the other; before you try to access the loan make sure you are insured.The basic requirement for the loan are as follows; 1) application form. 2) farm records; showing productivity and profitability. 3) Registration record/licence of farm. 4) account details. The banks that give out such loans include bank of agriculture, and first bank ,they also require you have an account with them that is operational. To secure an agric loan from a micro finance bank is easy and readily available; see the process Facility range: N50,000 (minimum) to N500,000 (maximum) Methodology: Individual, group and corporate Duration: 1-12 months Grace period: 30-60 days Prospective clients must be practicing farmers with verifiable evidence of existing farm investments. Benefits: No collateral Provides capital for farming activities Flexible repayment structure Low interest rates.

BEEF PROCESSING IN AN ABATTOIR.

The animals are inspected prior to slaughter,the carcass is also inspected and the organs are certified wholesome and fit for consumption. These pictures show the process of slaughtering......you have to see it before you buy it,