A Five-Year Retrospective Study Reveals Significant Temporal Variation and Substantial Potential Economic Value of Foetal Wastage in Kubwa Abattoir, Abuja, Nigeria

Abstract

Foetal wastage associated with the slaughter of pregnant cattle represents a loss of potential livestock production. However, evidence on its occurrence and temporal distribution in Nigerian abattoirs remains limited. This study characterised the occurrence and temporal distribution of detected foetal losses among female cattle slaughtered at Kubwa Abattoir, Abuja, between 2021 and 2025. A retrospective analysis of monthly abattoir records from January 2021 to December 2025 was conducted. Records included the number of female cattle slaughtered and the number of foetal losses detected during post-mortem inspection. Foetal-loss proportions were calculated annually and monthly. Differences between years were assessed using a chi-square test, while monthly variation was examined using a binomial regression model accounting for year. The relationship between the number of female cattle slaughtered and detected foetal losses was assessed using Spearman correlation. A total of 8,136 female cattle were slaughtered during the study period, with 857 foetal losses detected, giving an overall foetal-loss proportion of 10.53%. The annual proportion varied from 2.70% in 2021 to 18.11% in 2025 and differed significantly between years (χ² = 209.26, d.f. = 4, P < 0.001). Monthly variation was also significant after accounting for year (likelihood-ratio χ² = 130.06, d.f. = 11, P < 0.001), with higher aggregated foetal-loss proportions observed between July and October. Year was independently associated with foetal-loss detection (likelihood-ratio χ² = 186.51, d.f. = 4, P < 0.001), and the number of female cattle slaughtered was positively correlated with the number of detected foetal losses (Spearman ρ = 0.645, P < 0.001). Detected foetal losses were a recurring finding among female cattle slaughtered at Kubwa Abattoir, with substantial variation across years and months. The findings highlight the value of routine abattoir surveillance, ante-mortem pregnancy identification and veterinary oversight to better characterise and potentially reduce avoidable foetal wastage. Further studies incorporating animal, management, environmental and health-related variables are needed to investigate the factors underlying the observed variation.