Common meat inspection findings in sheep in Finland

Background Sheep meat is produced on a small scale in Finland, with ca. 50,000 animals slaughtered annually. In 2024, over 20% of sheep meat produced in Finland was organic. Legislative requirements differ between organic and conventional production, which may be reflected in differences in animal health and welfare between the two production systems. Meat inspection data can be used to assess the health and welfare of production animals. However, studies on meat inspection findings in sheep and comparative research on lesion and condemnation prevalences between the two production systems are scarce. In this study, data were collected from a slaughterhouse that received over 20% ( n = 11,355) of all sheep slaughtered in Finland in the year 2024. Lambs (sheep under one year of age) constituted 79% of the slaughtered animals, with 37% of all animals being organically reared. Results No lesions or condemnations were recorded in 96% of all carcasses originating from 132/228 (58%) farms. Whole- and partial-carcass condemnations were more frequent in adult sheep than in lambs in both organic and conventional production, but no significant difference was observed between the production systems. The lesions with the highest animal and farm prevalences, respectively, were dicrocoeliasis caused by the lancet liver fluke Dicrocoelium dendriticum (2.5% and 3.5%), pleuritis (0.8% and 22.4%), bone fracture (0.4% and 9.7%), acute bruise (0.3% and 6.6%), pneumonia (0.2% and 7.0%), and liver abscesses (0.1% and 3.9%). The prevalence of D. dendriticum was significantly higher in organic production ( p < 0.001) and in adults ( p < 0.001) than lambs. Additionally, dicrocoeliasis was a farm-specific problem, with only eight positive farms (3.5%). In addition to dicrocoeliasis, pleuritis was also age-related, with a significantly higher prevalence in adults than in lambs in both production systems. Conclusions The results indicate a good health status of sheep in Finland. Differences between animal age groups seem to be greater than those between production systems. Meat inspection results can help identify underlying health and welfare issues on the farm. However, since the results may be affected by such factors as animal nutrition, more research on lesion etiology in Finland is required.