Assessment of Health Certificates Issued for On-Farm Emergency Slaughtered Bovine Animals: A Records-Based Investigation from Farm to the Slaughterhouse

On-farm emergency slaughter (OFES), as provided for under Regulation (EC) No 853/2004 and subject to official controls under Regulation (EU) 2017/625, allows otherwise healthy animals that are acutely injured and unfit for transport to enter the food chain, reducing food waste and economic losses. Eligibility requires ante-mortem inspection (AMI) by an Official Veterinarian (OV) and completion of a health certificate compliant with national operational guidelines issued by the Italian Ministry of Health and the Emilia-Romagna region. This records-based investigation analysed health certificates for bovine animals undergoing OFES within the Modena Local Health Authority (LHA) between 1 January and 31 December 2023, assessing compliance with EU and national requirements. The health certificate items under review included clinical history, detailed diagnosis, justification for OFES, exclusion of systemic disease or welfare compromise, and OV declaration. Compliance with mandatory fields and coherence with OFES eligibility criteria were evaluated in line with national and regional operational guidelines. An economic analysis was performed from both the farmer and LHA perspectives. Farmers’ net income was estimated from carcass value minus transport, slaughter, and veterinary costs, while LHA costs and revenues were calculated using national tariffs, full labour cost estimates for OV, and travel-related expenses, allowing the net economic balance of the OFES service to be determined. A total of 926 certificates were reviewed; 110 (11.9%) showed non-compliance. The most frequent issue (87/110; 79%) was the absence of a sufficiently specific diagnosis or clinical description (e.g. generic terms such as “possible trauma” or “walking difficulties” or “downer-cow syndrome” without further details on acute or chronic process or if animals were unfit to travel or if the clinical signs were due to trauma or metabolic conditions), limiting justification for eligibility for OFES. In 13 cases (12%), animals presented conditions incompatible with OFES eligibility (e.g. systemic illness, chronic conditions, or body temperature above 40.5°C) that should have led to rejection at AMI. These findings suggest variability in OV interpretation and highlight the need for harmonised training and clearer guidance as described in other studies (Fusi et al., 2025; Thomsen et al., 2026). The economic evaluation estimated a net loss of €86,779 for the LHA, primarily driven by personnel time and operational costs. Similar economic and operational constraints have been reported in other European studies reporting variability in clinical decision-making and economic burden, where OFES is recognised as beneficial but resource-intensive if not optimised (Kautto et al., 2023). Overall, while OFES remains an important tool to safeguard animal welfare and reduce food waste, improvements in certification accuracy, standardisation of AMI practices, and optimisation of service delivery models are needed to ensure both regulatory compliance and long-term sustainability. Fusi et al., (2025). Occurrence and Reasons for On-Farm Emergency Slaughter (OFES) in Northern Italian Cattle. Animals, 15(15), 2239. https://doi.org/10.3390/ani15152239 Thomsen PT, Anker HT and Herskin MS (2026). Emergency slaughter of cattle in the EU: rules and realities. Front. Anim. Sci. 7:1783462. doi: 10.3389/fanim.2026.1783462 Kautto et al., (2023). Remote ante mortem inspection – Possibilities for improved sustainability in low-capacity slaughter. Food Control, 153, 109967. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.foodcont.2023.109967