Digital infrared thermography (DT) is a non-invasive imaging technique that could be a valuable instrument for producers and packaging plants to identify compromised and diseased animals for isolation and treatment, as well as to implement management practices to reduce the prevalence of pale, soft and exudative (PSE) pork. The decreasing cost of infrared technology makes it a potential for automated real-time data collection. This study evaluated a simple ‘consumer grade’ digital thermography (DT) camera for measuring stress in market weight pigs; comparing DT values collected on-farm with those collected at an abattoir after transport; and determining if DT values collected at the abattoir are predictive of physiological measures of stress and meat quality characteristics. The results indicate that infrared technology is able to measure temperature changes due to stress in pigs. Temperature measures collected on the farm following weighing and tagging were predictive of pig’s response to transport, and measures collected in the abattoir after transport were predictive of physiological measures of stress and meat quality.
Infrared technologies for identification of market pigs at risk during transport (full article)
