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This report is a compilation of a survey among Swedish slaughterhouses slaughtering sheep and lambs conducted in August/September 2015. The survey was a part of the project "Increased knowledge of Swedish lamb meat quality", with the overall purpose to strengthen and develop the quality of Swedish lamb meat. The aim of the survey was to gain more knowledge about procedures around the lamb slaughter at Swedish slaughterhouses, focusing on the handling of the lambs before and after slaughter. Twenty slaughterhouses of different size with a good geographical spread questions was included in the survey and were asked about the methods of suspension and cooling, comments on the carcass quality and whether there were any gaps in knowledge.
Of all sheep and lambs slaughtered in Sweden, 80% were slaughtered at the slaughterhouses included in the study. The number of slaughtered sheep/lambs ranged between 350-90,000 per slaughterhouse and year. 45% of them slaughtered between 2,000 and 6,000 sheep/lambs per year. The farmers' interest to sell the meat themselves is increasing every year.
Most of the slaughterhouses kept the groups as they were at the arrival to the slaughterhouse. Lairage occurred at 90% of the slaughterhouses. Handling of the animals, from the stable to the killing, was done in groups of five in the smaller and up to 20 on the larger slaughterhouses. In 60% of the slaughterhouses, a captive bolt pistol was used for stunning and the remaining used electrical stunning. The most frequently used method for suspension was to hang the carcasses by the Achilles, but 20% could offer tenderstretch (suspending the carcasses by the pelvis). The most common way to cool the lamb carcasses was to use air blast chillers, which was used on 17 slaughterhouses. The remaining three used a shock chilling effect. Most slaughterhouses measured the carcasses' end temperature, which was on average 4 °C (range between 1-7.5 °C). Only one of the slaughterhouses measured pH.
Hanging time for the carcasses ranged from 1 to 7 days. Carcasses to be sold by the farmers themselves, to restaurants and to farm shops hung considerably longer than carcasses delivered to wholesalers, who thus took over the management chain regarding ageing and cutting. On the question of what was considered the most optimal/desirable hanging time of the lamb the answers ranged between 2.5-12 days, with an average of 6 days.
Which slaughter weights that was requested was due to which customers the meat would be delivered to. The survey showed that the wholesalers prefer carcasses of an even size, weighing between 16-23 kg and not too fat. Restaurants also wants carcasses of an even size but from larger (around 25 kg) and fatter lambs. Carcass quality was experienced to be very diverse. Producers who deliver lambs as part of the main income supply animals of good quality (well-grown and even in size). Small hobby producers often deliver older lambs with low weights and thus poorer carcass quality (about 30% of the slaughter lambs). Own improvements one would like to conduct at the slaughterhouses were primarily an extension of the cooling capacity to achieve better cooling of carcasses and to increase the hanging time.
The interest and commitment to participate in the survey and to contribute to improved lamb meat quality was great among the respondent slaughterhouses. The respondents requested more research on chilling method, hanging method, hanging time and temperature and its effect on eating quality and appearance and size of cutting parts. There is a need for increased knowledge through the entire production chain, from the farm to the delivery of carcasses to the customer (feeding strategies, parasite control, the final fattening lambs, slaughter maturity assessment, management of lamb on arrival at the slaughterhouse, carcass handling in the slaughterhouse etc.).