ANIMAL WELFARE: CHARACTERIZATION OF THE ENVIRONMENT AND HANDLING IN THE PRODUCTION AND SLAUGHTER OF BROILER

Abstract

The production model most used in Brazilian poultry is the system of integration between farmers and slaughterhouses, which allows a complete analysis of the production system and a systematic study of the correlation between structure, management and the environment provided to the chickens. In view of this scenario, the objective was to identify the main vulnerable points in the broiler productive process associated to environment and handling, characterizing the level of compliance with animal welfare (WPA) standards in poultry breeding and slaughter establishments, located in the Southwest of Goiás. Thus, we proceeded to verify recommendations guided by the guidelines of the Humane Farm Animal Care (HFAC) and of the Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (RSPCA) in twenty farms and three slaughterhouses distributed throughout the sampled region. The data were analyzed using the descriptive method. As a result, technical, management and structural failures were observed in the pre-slaughter stages, as well as in industrial procedures in the evaluated establishments, in addition to the total absence of environmental enrichment.