**Abstract**

Animal handling is a growing issue of concern in many countries around the world. Developed countries in particular show keen interest in the way animals are produced for processing. In such countries, animal welfare is increasingly becoming a primary matter in the process of keeping animals either as pets or for food and at homes or on farms. Not only are they protecting the rights of these animals but compromised handling of animal has negative effects on the carcass and overall meat quality characteristics. Poor quality animal and meat will have poor processing properties, functional quality, eating quality, and more likely to be unaccepted by consumers. Lesser attention has been paid by most developing countries on this issue. By this book chapter, it is expected that developing countries also take interest in proper on-farm and pre-slaughter handling of animals due to their beneficial effect on meat and carcass qualities.

**Keywords:** pre-slaughter handling, meat quality, DFD, PSE, meat industry

### **1. Introduction**

Many physical and psychological stresses, the animals face before slaughtering. Physical stress includes high temperature, noise, less and disturbing space while psychological stress comprises social breakdown, pungent smell and new place [1]. Pre-slaughter stresses also come from mechanical injuries, starvation, lake of water and feed, loading and unloading of the animals which result in poor meat quality [2]. Apart from these stresses, meat quality is also affected from animal genetics, weather condition and environment [3].

Animal carcass and meat quality are linked with animal welfare. The welfare of an animal was defined by [4] as its condition as regards its efforts to cope with the environment. If an animal faces any type of difficulty and is not satisfied with its environment, the animal welfare is said to have been violated. At a farm level, environment, labor, any pathogen and other animals at the place have great effect on the carcass and meat quality. For example, if the food and environment of the animals is not clean and animals show some disease signs, it will directly affect their health and growth, resulting the less meat production and even the carcass can be wasted by meat inspector. Animal welfare is not merely defined by the good health, fitness and normal production, it is very difficult to measure the satisfaction of animal with its environment.

Warriss [1] stated the meat quality on functional and conformational basis. The required characters in a product are functional qualities and to fulfill the consumer need to that product is referred to as conformational qualities. Meat quality components include yield, gross appearance, wholesome, palatability and ethical concern [5]. The animal body which has been slaughtered for meat purpose is denoted by carcass. The poor quality of the carcass will definitely show bad meat appearance and quality. Smith and Grandin [6] reported that meat quality can be improved by proper handling and a good profit is achieved. In this chapter, pre-slaughter handling of animals and its effect on the carcass and meat quality will be studied.
