Post-mortem carcass and organ condemnations in cattle, sheep, and goats slaughtered at the Béjaïa abattoir, Algeria: Causes and associated economic losses over a 10-year period.

This ten-year retrospective study (2012-2021) aimed to investigate the major causes of organ and carcass condemnations identified during post-mortem meat inspection of cattle, sheep, and goats slaughtered at the municipal abattoir of Béjaïa, Algeria, and to estimate the associated economic losses. A total of 140,024 animals were inspected, including 31,723 cattle, 48,700 sheep, and 59,601 goats. Overall, 33,362 organs (24.1%) were condemned, and 399 carcasses (0.3%) were partially or wholly condemned. The highest rate of organ and carcass condemnation was recorded in cattle (32.4%), followed by sheep (24.7%) and goats (19.2%) (P < 0.001). Across all three species, the lungs were the most frequently condemned organs (n = 25,272; 75.7%), followed by the liver (n = 2,899; 8.7%) and heart (n = 2,432; 7.3%) (P < 0.001). In cattle, bovine tuberculosis was the leading cause of organ and carcass condemnation. Liver abscesses represented the main cause of liver condemnation in cattle, sheep, and goats, accounting for 462 of 1,537, 400 of 730, and 389 of 632 condemned livers, respectively. In contrast, pericarditis was the most common cause of heart condemnation in sheep and goats. Over the study period, the estimated direct economic losses attributable to organ and carcass condemnations amounted to USD 518,396.6 in cattle, USD 56,297.5 in sheep, and USD 46,395.8 in goats. These findings highlight the importance of strengthening preventive animal health measures, improving livestock management practices, and reinforcing meat inspection systems to safeguard public health while minimising economic losses across the livestock production chain.