Effect of abattoir-level beef cattle handling on meat quality outcomes: inter-abattoir variation, Eastern Amhara, Ethiopia

Meat quality encompasses a set of attributes preferred and evaluated by consumers based on nutritional value, conformation, sensory appeal and safety. This research was conducted between 2024 and 2025. A cross sectional study was conducted using an observational study and pH evaluation of meat. Of the six welfare indicators assessed on 384 beef cattle, slipping, beating, trekking distance and time of rest at lairage were significantly different among the abattoirs. The pH measurements of meat samples (N=75) signaled more than half (n=41, 54.7%) of the total sample was found to be defective meat. PSE, RFN and DFD meat quality outcomes were significantly (X2(4)= 11.7545; p=0.019) different among the three abattoirs. The odds ratio of DFD (OR=5.79 and 5) and PSE (OR=7.71 and 4) meats at the Dessie and Woldia abattoirs were more than 5 and 4 times higher than at the Kombolcha abattoir, respectively. The Relative Risk Ratio (RRR) of occurrence of PSE meat was higher for falling (RRR=15.08; CI: 3.71-61.25; p<0.001), beating (RRR=7.33; CI: 2.01-26.76; p= 0.003) and slipping (RRR=15.08; CI: 3.71-61.25; p<0.001) rate increases. DFD meat was also higher on stressors such as trekking distance (RRR=9.33; CI: 1.89-46.19; p=0.006), falling (RRR=13.26; CI: 3.61-48.64; p<0.001), beating (RRR=10.67; CI: 3.05-37.29; p<0.001) and slipping (RRR=10.88; CI: 3.02-39.09; p<0.001). In contrast, intermediate lairage stay was not found to be statistically significant for the development of DFD meat (RRR=13.26; CI: 3.61-48.64; p=0.270). Therefore, this study concluded the pre-slaughter handling and meat quality outcomes had variation across export and municipal setting abattoirs.