Condemnation of Porcine Carcasses: A Two-Year Long Survey in an Italian High-Throughput Slaughterhouse

SIMPLE SUMMARY: The condemnation of whole carcasses after ante-mortem or post-mortem inspection represents the failure of a long period of challenging work, and it is regarded as a highly undesirable event. Therefore, the estimation of carcass condemnation is valuable for preserving both consumers’ health and pig farming profitability. The present survey aimed to report data about the condemnation of porcine carcasses in an Italian high-throughput slaughterhouse over 2 years. A total of 2,062,278 pigs were slaughtered during the study period. Overall, 1362 pigs were considered unfit for slaughtering after ante-mortem inspection, mostly because of death during transportation or in resting pens, after their arrival at the abattoir. Moreover, 2007 carcasses were condemned after post-mortem inspection, mostly due to diffuse peritonitis, disseminated abscesses, slaughter chain faults, and erysipelas. The critical analysis of the data underlines the need to further standardize ante-mortem and post-mortem judgements, in order to best exploit the abattoir as a useful source of epidemiological information. ABSTRACT: Ante-mortem and post-mortem inspection at slaughter are performed by Official Veterinarians and it is essential to identify alterations/lesions, which can make organs/carcasses unsuitable for human consumption. Obviously, carcass condemnation must be regarded as a highly undesirable event for the entire swine industry chain, as it represents the total failure of a long period of challenging work. Therefore, it seems valuable to estimate the prevalence and causes of carcasses condemnation, in order to preserve consumers’ health and pig farming profitability. Bearing that in mind, the present study aimed at providing a reliable picture of the condemnation of porcine carcasses in Italy, with a special emphasis being placed upon pathological findings. Data were collected in a high-throughput abattoir located in northern Italy, where a total of 2,062,278 pigs were slaughtered during the period of study (2021–2022). Overall, 1362 pigs were considered unfit for slaughtering after ante-mortem inspection, mostly because of death during transportation or in resting pens, after their arrival at the abattoir. Moreover, 2007 carcasses were condemned after post-mortem inspection. The most common causes of condemnation were severe and diffuse peritonitis, disseminated abscesses, jaundice, and erysipelas. In our opinion, the present survey may provide useful and updated information about the condemnation of pig carcasses in Italy. At the same time, it highlights the need to collect data in a more systematic and standardized way, thus making possible their comparison over time and among different geographic areas.