2023/11/27 by Jacques Agabriel, Agabriel, Jacques, Patrick P. Veysset +1
#Abattage #Beef #Bovins #Co-produits #Coproducts #Mortality #Mortalités #Pertes #Slaughter #Wastes
paper · doi:10.17180/893m-7j60
openalex publication_date 2015/01/01 · openalex created_date 2024/05/20 · openalex updated_date 2026/07/01
Food losses in the beef sector were analyzed from production to cutting, considering separately dairy herds and specialized beef (35 and 65% of French production). The dynamics of herds were adjusted for the domestic identification data basis and rates of mortality by age. An experimental slaughter data basis was used. By comparing the annual tonnage of dead stock and the existing population the losses by mortality could be estimated between 17 and 20 kg of live meat / livestock units (including losses of calves) or a production shortfall representing 2-3% the total live weight of the cattle herd. Transport losses are negligible. At slaughter, the condemnation generating C1 type by-products would amount to 28.8 and 24.0 Kt/year respectively for milk and meat herds, which represent 5.3 and 2.4% of their respective production. C3 by-products were estimated at 305.7 Kt (milk) and 510.5 Kt (meat) from the slaughter process (42%) and from industrial or butcher cutting (58%). This study highlighted that most efforts to reduce losses in the French beef sector should focus on the juvenile mortality and the high level of condemnation of cows at slaughter. Dairy herds versus meat herds perform particularly poorly on these two indicators.