Pregnancy in Slaughtered Lambs and Sheep—A Cross-Sectional Study in Three Abattoirs in Switzerland

Abstract

The slaughter of pregnant sheep and goats is not restricted in Switzerland. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence of pregnant sheep and lambs being slaughtered in Switzerland and to determine the state of gestation and vital signs of the fetuses in order to assess the need to take measures and raise awareness of this issue. The data collection was carried out from March 2021 to February 2022, comprising 115 days in three abattoirs. A total of 18,702 sheep and lambs were included in this cross-sectional study, and 8770 were female (46.9%), 663 of which were pregnant at slaughter (7.6%). The pregnancy rate varied by age category: 404 lambs (6.1%) and 259 sheep (11.9%) were pregnant. The highest pregnancy rate was found in winter (25.7%). Among the 663 pregnancies, more than a quarter were multiple pregnancies (28.2%). A total of 169 animals were in the third trimester of pregnancy (25.5%), where living fetuses were mainly found (81.1%). As it cannot be definitively ruled out that fetuses feel conscious pain, the data from this study underline that, from an ethical point of view, there is a need for action and that measures must be taken to reduce the number of pregnant slaughtered animals.