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Jul 23, 2026Keywords:
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Prevalence, Gestational Age, and Determinants of Pregnant Cattle Slaughter at the Techiman Abattoir, Ghana
Abstract
The slaughter of pregnant cattle raises moral and ethical questions regarding animal welfare and has significant implications for livestock productivity and economic sustainability. This study evaluates the prevalence of pregnant cattle slaughtered in Techiman, as well as the gestational age and reasons for the slaughter. Data on the overall number of cattle slaughtered, the number of bulls slaughtered, the number of cows slaughtered, and the number of pregnant cattle slaughtered were collected daily for three months at the slaughterhouse. A structured questionnaire was used to assess information on the demographics of the farmers, butchers, and traders, as well as the reasons behind the slaughter of pregnant cattle. A total of 3,963 cattle were slaughtered, of which 1,652 were female, and 23% (381) of the females were pregnant. About 63% (239) of pregnant cattle were in their first trimester, 24% (93) in the second trimester and 13% (49) in the third trimester. Pregnant cattle were mostly slaughtered because of lack of awareness of pregnancy status, economic reasons, health-related issues, and management decisions. Laws should be enacted in Ghana to prevent the slaughter of pregnant cattle, especially from the second to third trimesters. At the farmer level, training on early pregnancy detection and access to pregnancy detection kits would help prevent the unintended slaughter of pregnant cattle.
