A review on cattle foetal wastage during slaughter and its impacts to the future cattle herds in Tanzania

摘要

IndiscriminateslaughterofpregnantcowsandheifersisrampantinmanydevelopingcountriesinparticularthoseinsubSaharanAfrica.Thispracticeretardsthelivestockindustry,itisagainstanimalwelfareanditendsupgivingpoorqualitymeattotheconsumers.Areviewofthepublishedandunpublishedliteratureontheprevalenceofslaughterofpregnantcowsandheifers,foetalwastageanditslikelyimpactstothefuturecattleherdsinTanzaniawasperformed.EightarticlesandreportsfromsixslaughterhousesinTanzaniawereassessedandtheresultssummarized.Itwasobservedthattheprevalenceofslaughterofpregnantcowsandheifersrangedbetween15.6%forthecowsandheifersslaughteredatBukobaMunicipalslaughterhouseand46%forthecowsslaughteredatDodomaMunicipalabattoir.Slaughteredcow/heifer:pregnantcow/heiferratiorangedfromhighestlevelofeverytwoslaughteredcows/heifers,onewaspregnant(ratioof2:1)tolowestofeverysixslaughteredcows/heifers,onewaspregnant(ratioof6:1).ThemagnitudeoffoetalwastageduetoslaughterofpregnantcowsandheifersishugeinTanzaniathatthreatensthelivestockindustryandthereforeunderminesgovernmenteffortstoincreasefoodproduction.Moreover,theslaughterofpregnantcowsdisregardsanimalwelfarelegislation.Therefore,concertedeffortsarenecessaryinordertoreduceorhalttheincidencesofslaughteringpregnantcowsandheifersinTanzania.