Animal Welfare Certification for Beef Cattle

In beef cattle production, animal welfare and humane slaughter are crucial aspects of the production process. Cattle can be sensitive to a number of stressful factors, including noise, changes in the environment, transport, mixing of consignments, limited space, and handling other than routine. These factors can lead to significant zootechnical losses and must therefore be carefully managed to ensure an efficient and ethical production process.

Therefore, it is prudent to take into consideration good practices and aspects related to shipping, transport, packaging, driving, stunning and bleeding operations, since, besides minimizing stressful factors to the animals, they reflect in better carcass yields, better quality meat, and higher productivity, meeting even the demands of foreign markets.

It is important to emphasize that access to markets is increasingly linked to animal welfare. The concern with reducing the suffering of production animals has determined the acceptability of animal products by consumers, who have been looking for differentiated products.

Quais são os critérios de avaliação para o protocolo North American Meat Institute (NAMI)?

For cattle, the audit consists of evaluating requirements in the transportation and slaughtering process of the animals. In both, what are called main and secondary criteria are checked.

The main criteria are those items considered critical for the audit. The secondary criteria are intended to collect general information from the facility, providing a broader view of the plant, with opportunities for improvement. However, as they involve a high degree of subjectivity, they do not determine whether a facility passes an audit or not.

For transportation auditing, there are seven main criteria:

• Transport and animal reception policy at the meatpacking plant.
• During the loading of the trucks, it is important to ensure enclosed enclosures, adequate animal density, correct separation of animals, and proper alignment of the truck at the unloading point
• Waiting time for the animals to start unloading.
• Falls suffered by animals during unloading.
  
• Use of electric prods when attempting to unload the animals.
• The physical condition of the animals during transport.
• Intentional acts of abuse

Secondary criteria for the transport audit include factors such as slips inside the vehicle, temperament of the animals during transport, general condition of the vehicles used, and the correct use of flags by employees.

For slaughter auditing, there are seven main criteria:

• Intentional acts of abuse.
• Access to water.
• Falls.
• Use of electric prods.
• Vocalization.
• Stunning effectiveness.
• Insensitivity of animals in the bleeding chute.
  

The secondary criteria of the slaughter audit include:

• With regard to the documentary part: have a record of employee training, emergency management plan, and protocol for animals unable to walk.
• Regarding facilities and equipment: include a weekly inspection of the facility by employees and a non-slip floor.
• In regards to training and animal handling: include training of employees by the company and adequate stocking density.
  

What are the certification criteria for the North American Meat Institute (NAMI) protocol?

During the audit, there must be no evidence of acts of abuse, such as dragging conscious animals, applying electric prods to sensitive parts of the animals, and beating them. In addition, it is important to note that the presence of sentient animals in the bleeding chute is unacceptable. Animals must not show signs of consciousness, such as eye reflexes, vocalization, or the straightening reflex.

Why choose Animal Welfare certification for Beef Cattle?

The Animal Welfare Certification brings several benefits for those involved, including:

• Implementation of good management practices that ensure animal welfare, meeting the requirements of national and international legislations and protocols.
• Transparency of the production process for the final consumer.
• Increase and loyalty of the consumer market.
• Ease of closing commercial deals with more demanding clients.
• Being more attractive to new investments.

Why choose QIMA/WQS for Animal Welfare Certification?

• Our team, with over 30 years of experience in the food industry supply chain, is ready to deliver end-to-end quality solutions for your business.
• Specializing in the food area, QIMA/WQS has a structure designed to start your service with speed and availability to clarify any questions that may arise along the way.
• Our protocols are approved and applied by auditors certified by PAACO (Professional Animal Auditor Certification Organization).
• We have the QIMA/WQS Animal Welfare Seal, communicating clearly and directly with the end consumer about the strict auditing and certification process the company has undergone.
• More than 9,000 satisfied customers at all stages of the food chain are proof of the quality, dedication, and success offered by QIMA/WQS.