Assessment of fetal wastage in cattle, goat and sheep slaughtered at tamale abattoir, northern region, Ghana

Abstract

Information on the level of fetal wastages in slaughtered cattle, sheep and goat is scanty in Ghana. This obvious missing gap in information do adversely affects the strategic planning and decision-making on animal food security. Thus, the need for an assessment of fetal wastage in slaughtered cattle and small ruminants in the Northern region of Ghana which provides about 30% of livestock population is imperative. Data on the total number of cattle, sheep and goat slaughtered, pregnant animals and condemned fetuses were obtained from the abattoir records, analysed on a daily basis while percentage of pregnant female animals and other descriptive statistics were computed. The average of 6.8% pregnant cow, 19.5% pregnant sheep and 18.3% pregnant goats were slaughtered in the study period. The ratio of fetal loss to slaughtered cattle, sheep and goat are 1:15, 1:5 and 1:6 respectively. This showed that the fetal wastage is quite alarming and effort should be geared towards instituting routine veterinary checks including pregnancy diagnosis at cattle control posts and abattoirs.

Keywords: Abattoir, fetal loss, Reproductive wastage, Ruminants