Summary
The
aim of this study was to evaluate the results of two different electronic
pig identification methods on various closed-cycle fattening farms
in Brescia, Bergamo and Modena provinces and to consider the effect
of slaughter procedures on ear tag retention. On-farm tests involved
the intraperitoneal injection of a transponder into 527 piglets
aged 20-30 days using a 5 cm steel needle, and the use
of an electronic ear tag in 114 piglets of the same age range.
The percentage of reading controls of intraperitoneal transponders
varied from 96.8-100%, with recovery of 70% at the slaughterhouse.
Retention of electronic ear tags on arrival at the slaughterhouse
was 75.43%. Activities performed during the slaughter process resulted
in the loss of 4.65% of the electronic ear tags present at the beginning
of the slaughter cycle. To evaluate the effect of procedures conducted
in the slaughterhouse on ear tag retention, various tests were conducted
in an industrial slaughterhouse in Modena province, using a total
of 199 ear tags of three different brands. The percentage of
ear tags recovered after the slaughter process varied from 89% to
96%.
Keywords
Ear
tags, Electronic identification, Pigs, Transponders. |