Syftet med detta projekt var att uppdatera branschriktlinjer för små slakteri- och styckningsföretag, för att underlätta för den enskilda företagaren att tolka och uppfylla kraven i gällande livsmedelslagstiftning för slakt och styckning. Branschriktlinjerna omfattar även den djurskyddslagstiftning som gäller för djur vid tidpunkten för avlivning. Målgruppen är de livsmedelsproducenter som producerar små volymer livsmedel av djurslagen nötkreatur, gris och får. Branschriktlinjerna innefattar avlivning, slakt och styckning, men inte vidareförädling av produkterna. Branschriktlinjerna har utarbetats i samråd med Livsmedelsverket. Avsnitten om djurskydd och avfallshantering har granskats av Jordbruksverket.

Den första upplagan av branschriktlinjerna publicerades 2009. Arbetet med att ta fram branschriktlinjerna gjordes av JTI – Institutet för jordbruks- och miljöteknik på uppdrag av Sveriges småskaliga kontrollslakteriers förening (numera Småskaliga slakt- & charkföretagen). Författarna till den första upplagan var Cecilia Lindahl, Christel Benfalk, Paulo Kisekka-Ndawula och Ewa Uppgård.

Uppdateringen av branschriktlinjerna har gjorts av forskningsinstitutet RISE i samverkan med Eldrimner, nationellt resurscentrum för mathantverk. Eldrimner samordnade en referensgrupp bestående av representanter från den småskaliga slaktbranschen som bidragit med synpunkter och inspel under arbetets gång.

Projektet med att uppdatera branschriktlinjerna har finansierats av Jordbruksverket via Landsbygdsprogrammet.

Recent advances in information technology offer unprecedented opportunities for the agricultural sector, including novel methods of meat traceability and data acquisition. However, the uptake of digital technologies remains faster in crop and dairy farming than in meat industry. One of the main reasons for this situation is the required upfront investment and the uncertainty around recovering the costs. It is likely that part of these costs will ultimately fall on the consumer, and it is currently uncertain whether the consumer is willing to cover them. We examined the preferences of beef buyers in Sweden for information available at the point of purchase. In total, 1010 participants provided valid responses to a Best-Worst Scaling survey administered online. The results of the general model showed that country of origin was the most important factor for consumers, with many associating meat produced in Sweden with high animal welfare and environmental standards. The study also found that over 50 % of respondents were satisfied with the current regulations regarding animal welfare and food safety. In the subsequent step, employing a latent class model, we identified three groups of respondents: Information Seekers, Indifferent Shoppers, and Price-driven Shoppers. Information Seekers valued detailed information about beef higher than price and were more likely to be female and middle- to high-earners. Indifferent Shoppers paid little attention to information at the point of purchase and were guided more by price. Price-driven Shoppers were mostly guided by price and considered it the most important attribute.

According to the EU legislation, all animals farmed for food production must be stunned before being exsanguinated (exempt slaughter prescribed by religious rites). Stunning methods must be reliable, effective, and free from avoidable pain, distress, and suffering, warranting continuous improvement. New methods must be thoroughly evaluated from an animal welfare perspective before approval. One technology developed for on-farm euthanasia and large-scale depopulation for disease control in pigs uses high-expansion foam to create an anoxic atmosphere in a closed container. The method has previously been suggested as a potential method for stunning pigs at slaughter. This study compared the behavioural responses and stun process (e.g., loss of posture and convulsions) of pigs exposed to three different gases (N2, Ar, and CO2) delivered in high-expansion foam. Thirty-six pigs, approximately 12 weeks old, were placed one at a time in a container and exposed to either N2, Ar, or CO2 gas-filled foam for 5 min from foam start. Behavioural observations were conducted from video recordings, assessing time to loss of balance, loss of posture, last strong convulsion and last muscle contraction. Results showed that pigs in the CO2 treatment performed escape attempts significantly earlier than in N2 and Ar, and there were more pigs that performed this behaviour in CO2, indicating that high concentrations of CO2 are more aversive than Ar and N2. Pigs exposed to CO2 foam also avoided the foam earlier compared to the other two gases. Loss of posture occurred earlier in the CO2 treatment, consistent with the anaesthetic effect of CO2. A faster foam filling time for CO2 foam may be a contributing factor to the differences found; however, filling time was adjusted for in the statistical analyses to reduce bias in the comparisons between gases. All pigs across treatments were adequately stunned after 5 min, with no corneal reflex, rhythmic breathing, gagging, or muscle contractions upon removal from the container. No indications of regained consciousness during sticking and bleeding were found. In conclusion, the gas foam method was effective in stunning the pigs regardless of the gas type used. The less aversive responses to Ar and N2 foam are positive from an animal welfare perspective, but the longer time to loss of consciousness compared to CO2 is a disadvantage. © 2025 The Authors

Detta projekt avser att utvärdera vilka komponenter för berikning av grisars miljö som kan införlivas i svenska grisstallar och därmed avdelningar för olika griskategorier. Förutom analyser av inhemska inhysningssystem, och hur berikning kan implementeras i dessa, har det även gjorts flera omvärldsanalyser avseende berikningsanordningar som finns på den europeiska marknaden. Detta för att få en uppfattning om vilka anordningar som skulle kunna vara aktuella att införliva under svenska förhållanden. Generellt är uppfattningen att berikningsanordningar av olika slag är mer frekventa i andra europeiska länder än i Sverige. Detta beror troligtvis på att grisproducenterna i Sverige strör med halm eller liknande material, som i sig är en berikning. Det kan dock vara förhållanden då tillräcklig halm inte finns att tillgå eller att det inte strös tillräckligt och att extra resurser då krävs för att berika miljön för att t.ex. undvika oönskade beteenden såsom aggressioner och svansbitning. Därmed är avsikten med denna rapport att visa på olika berikningsmöjligheter som finns tillgängliga, där vardera grisproducent får avgöra hur dessa skulle kunna fungera i den egna besättningen. Rapporten presenterar grisens grundläggande sinnen, beteenden, utmaningar och möjligheter med berikning, olika typer av berikning, arbetsmiljö m.m. Dessutom görs omvärldsanalyser för att få en uppfattning ”vad som är på gång” på den europeiska marknaden. I rapporten lyfts även frågeställningar som är värda att utforska närmare i kommande studier.

Cybersecurity represents a critical challenge for data-sharing platforms involving multiple stakeholders, particularly within complex and decentralized systems such as livestock supply chain networks. These systems demand novel approaches, robust security protocols, and advanced data management strategies to address key challenges such as data consistency, transparency, ownership, controlled access or exposure, and privacy-preserving analytics for value-added services. In this paper, we introduced the Framework for Livestock Empowerment and Decentralized Secure Data eXchange (FLEX), as a comprehensive solution grounded on five core design principles: (i) enhanced security and privacy, (ii) human-centric approach, (iii) decentralized and trusted infrastructure, (iv) system resilience, and (v) seamless collaboration across the supply chain. FLEX integrates interdisciplinary innovations, leveraging decentralized infrastructure-based protocols to ensure trust, traceability, and integrity. It employs secure data-sharing protocols and cryptographic techniques to enable controlled information exchange with authorized entities. Additionally, the use of data anonymization techniques ensures privacy. FLEX is designed and implemented using a microservices architecture and edge computing to support modularity and scalable deployment. These components collectively serve as a foundational pillar of the development of a digital product passport. The FLEX architecture adopts a layered design and incorporates robust security controls to mitigate threats identified using the STRIDE threat modeling framework. The evaluation results demonstrate the framework’s effectiveness in countering well-known cyberattacks while fulfilling its intended objectives. The performance evaluation of the implementation further validates its feasibility and stability, particularly as the volume of evidence associated with animal identities increases. All the infrastructure components, along with detailed deployment instructions, are publicly available as open-source libraries on GitHub, promoting transparency and community-driven development for wider public benefit.

The purpose of ante- and post-mortem inspections at slaughterhouses is to ensure that meat and other relevant food products of animal origin are safe for human consumption. However, these inspections can also be useful for detecting animal health and welfare issues. In cattle, traumatic injuries from on-farm incidents, transport or handling at the slaughterhouse are indications of both reduced animal welfare and increased risk of food waste, ultimately resulting in economic losses for both farmers and slaughterhouses. This observational study aimed to investigate the prevalence and seasonal variation of traumatic injuries in cows and heifers reared on organic and conventional farms in Sweden. The study includes slaughter remarks and condemnations from meat inspection data from 336,071 animals slaughtered between 2020 and 2022. Two types of injuries were analysed: “chronic traumatic injuries” (CTI) sustained on-farm and “acute traumatic injuries” (ATI) sustained during transport or at the slaughterhouse. Logistic regression models were developed to assess the influence of production system and season. Results show a higher prevalence of CTI in animals from conventional farms (9.8%) compared to organic farms (6.9%; P < 0.001), which may indicate that animals from organic farms are managed and handled in a way that makes them better prepared for challenges that they are later exposed to on-farm prior to slaughter. ATI were more frequent in animals from organic farms during the grazing period (interaction between production system and season: P = 0.002), which may indicate that animals from organic farms find the transition to the slaughterhouse environment more abrupt and stressful during the grazing period. Condemnations due to injuries were significantly higher for animals with CTI or ATI compared to animals without these specific remarks. These findings highlight the importance of pre-slaughter management, both on-farm and at the slaughterhouse, and slaughterhouse design in improving animal welfare and reducing food as well as economic losses associated with carcase condemnations. 

The currently most widespread stunning method for pigs is high concentration of carbon dioxide (CO2), but this method is under scrutiny due to animal welfare deficits. One alternative method currently under development with potential to replace CO2 is nitrogen (N2) filled high expansion foam. While N2 does not elicit the same aversive behaviour as CO2, it is currently not known if the high expansion foam itself may be frightening to the pigs. Means to alleviate fear reactions to foam could consist of diverting pigs’ attention using aromas (an odour in combination with taste) of interest to them. The current study aimed to investigate if an added aroma (vanilla aroma) affected pigs’ avoidance and exploratory behaviour when exposed to air-filled high expansion foam in a foam box. The study included 50 pigs (30 females, 20 males) of 14–16 weeks of age, of different crosses between Yorkshire, Hampshire and Duroc. The pigs were randomly assigned to either the treatment with air-filled foam with added aroma or the control treatment with no added aroma, which they were exposed to in a foam box. The results showed that pigs with the aromatised foam expressed significantly more exploration behaviour directed towards the foam and box walls, but not towards the floor or the lid. The aromatised foam also resulted in a higher activity level of the pigs. In contrast to the hypotheses, pigs with aromatised foam expressed more avoidance behaviour, and escape attempts were exclusively observed when pigs were exposed to aromatised foam. Slipping events and frequency of vocalisations did not differ between pigs with and without aroma added to the foam. This study shows that an added aroma (taste and odour in combination) increased pigs’ exploration behaviour towards the foam, and thus could serve as a distraction for the pigs when inside a confined foam box. The results emphasise the importance of taking foam aroma into consideration in the further development of the N2-filled high expansion as a stunning method. The potential anxiety- or stress-reducing effect of any added aroma needs further investigation, and future studies should focus on assessing various types of aromas, and/or odours, as well as different concentrations of the compounds to determine which solution is most efficient in alleviating pig stress and anxiety. 

Inledning Fysisk belastning är en av de vanligaste arbetsrelaterade orsakerna till besvär i rörelseorganen, funktionsnedsättningar, och sjukskrivningar. I Sverige beräknas kostnaderna för arbetsrelaterade sjukdomar och olycksfall uppgå till cirka 164 miljarder kronor årligen. Arbetsrelaterade besvär och belastningsskador i övre extremiteten kan uppkomma då kroppen utsätts för repetitiva rörelser, tunga lyft, obekväma arbetsställningar och/eller vibrationer. Trots att riskfaktorerna är kända, arbetar fortfarande alltför många på ett sätt som medför risk för belastningssjukdom. Arbete i häststall kännetecknas av tungt och ensidigt arbete, besvärliga arbetsställningar som ofta utförs i slitna anläggningar med låg mekaniseringsgrad. Studier har visat på hög förekomst av belastningsbesvär hos anställda på ridskolor. Besvären är främst lokaliserade till axlarna, nedre delen av ryggen och nacken. För att kunna identifiera och prioritera relevanta åtgärder, i syfte att minska risken för belastningsskador hos anställda, krävs en riskbedömning av den fysiska belastningen. Metoder för riskbedömning av belastning baseras vanligtvis på självrapportering och observationer. Dessa metoder har dock stora begränsningar. Exempelvis har tillförlitligheten av observationer och andra former av expertbedömningar visat sig vara låg även då de görs av erfarna ergonomer. Att objektivt och kvantitativt kunna mäta belastningen har tidigare varit praktiskt svårt att genomföra, men har nu möjliggjorts med modern teknik. Med en personbunden mätutrustning kan man enkelt mäta den fysiska belastningen under hela arbetsdagar ute på arbetsplatserna. Syfte Syftet med den här pågående studien är dels att öka kunskapen om arbetsställningar och belastning samt relaterade riskfaktorer inom hästsektorn, dels att utvärdera användbarheten av en ny metod med en smart tröja för att mäta arbetsställningar. Med kunskap om arbetsbelastning och arbetets organisering kan effektiva åtgärder, för att minska eller eliminera ohälsosam fysisk exponering, identifieras och implementeras. Detta för att på sikt kunna främja hållbara arbetsmiljöer. Metod Studien är explorativ och genomförs i nära samarbete med den svenska hästnäringen. 8–10 ridskolor, med olika organisering av arbetet och olika mekaniseringsgrad, kommer att ingå i studien. Datainsamlingen, som förväntas pågå under 2024, kommer inkludera objektiva mätningar av arbetsställningar och rörelsehastighet för bål och arm samt av puls, i kombination med observationer av arbetsmoment, intervjuer samt enkäten COPSOQ III, och skattningsskalorna Borgs RPE-skala och Stress-energiformulär. Mätningarna av arbetsställningar och rörelsehastighet kommer att genomföras med hjälp av en smart tröja (Wergonic), en funktionströja med integrerade sensorer som är trådlöst kopplade till en smartphone. Systemet kan med hjälp av algoritmer och vetenskapligt framtagna rekommendationer ge en riskbedömning för en hel arbetsdag. Resultat Projektet förväntas öka kunskapen om riskerna för belastning, hur exponeringen ser ut över arbetsdagen samt vilka arbetsmoment som innebär högst risk för ridskoleanställda. Vidare väntas belastningen kunna relateras till de anställdas upplevda arbetsförmåga, arbetstempo och fysiska ansträngning. Resultatet bör därmed kunna ge indikationer på samband mellan den organisatoriska och sociala arbetsmiljön och den fysiska arbetsmiljön. Utifrån resultaten kan åtgärder för att förbättra arbetsmiljön identifieras och på sikt bidra till bättre hälsa och hållbarhet inom hästrelaterade yrken.

The changing climate, with higher temperatures, is challenging pigs’ abilities to lose metabolic heat.This study was conducted during two summers (2022 and 2023) on a commercial pig farm in Sweden,latitude 59.7°N, using a change over design. In one pig unit the solid floorings, in partly slatted pens(8.96 m2, solid lying area 71% and slatted dunging area 29%), were cooled whilst the solid flooringsin the adjacent pig unit had no cooling. Each pig unit had 38 pens with 9-10 pigs/pen (LYxH, mixedsexes, ~35-115 kg, undocked). Cooling was conducted by circulating chilled water (~11℃) in thewaterborne pipes casted in the concrete. Concentrations of ammonia (NH3) and carbon dioxide(CO2) were measured with a photoacoustic gas monitor 1512 and a multipoint sampler 1409(Lumasense Technologies A/S, Denmark) above four focal pens/pig unit, in addition to samplingpoints by one air inlet and by one exhaust fan in each unit. Temperature and relative humidity werecontinuously registered with loggers (Gemini Data Loggers Ltd., UK) mounted next to the samplingpoints of NH3 and CO2, and close to the lying area in the focal pens. Pig hygiene was assessedaccording to a protocol developed based on literature. Statistical analyses were performed usingPROC GLM in SAS version 9.4. Preliminary results show that the proportion of pigs with the mildesthygiene score (<20 % of the body dirty) were higher in cooled compared to control pens (on average44.6±1.30 vs. 28.8±1.03 % of pigs in the pen (LSM±SE), p<0.001). In accordance, the correspondingproportion of pigs with the most severe hygiene score (>50 % of the body dirty) were lower in cooledpens compared to control (on average 31.8±1.37 vs. 47.9±1.37 % of pigs in the pen (LSM±SE),p<0.001). In addition, the results show lower levels of both NH3 and CO2 with floor coolingcompared to the control (2.9±0.03 vs 4.0±0.03 ppm NH3 and 1345±3.9 vs 1376±3.9 ppm CO2(LSM±SE), p<0.001 for both). The average temperature was lower in the unit with cooled floortreatment compared to control, both in the sample points above the pen (20.7±0.03 vs. 21.2±0.03 ºC(LSM±SE), p<0.001) and closer to the floor in the lying area (26.3±0.06 vs. 27.7±0.07 ºC (LSM±SE),p<0.001) while there were no significant differences in relative humidity between treatments. Theresults indicate a favourable effect of floor cooling on pig hygiene, thermal and gaseousenvironment.