Assessment of Cattle Hide and Skin Quality from Abattoirs in Kano State

This study assesses the quality and defect patterns of cattle hides and skins from major abattoirs in Kano State, North West Nigeria. Nigeria is a major producer of raw hides and skins, and the quality of these products significantly determines their export value and industrial utility. Kano State, with its large cattle slaughter capacity and leather processing industry, is a critical hub in Nigeria's hide and skin value chain. However, systematic quality documentation at the abattoir level is lacking. This study inspects 600 cattle hides from Yankaba, Bodija (Kano), and Dakata abattoirs over three monthly inspection visits. Each hide is assessed for defects including tick and warble fly damage, horn brand marks, flaying cuts, putrefaction, manure soiling, and cockle defects using the FAO defect scoring protocol. Breed type, animal age, slaughter season, and processing method are recorded alongside defect data. Regression analysis identifies predictors of defect prevalence. Findings reveal that tick damage is the most prevalent defect affecting 68 percent of inspected hides, followed by flaying knife cuts at 42 percent and manure soiling at 38 percent. Hides from Bunaji cattle show lower tick damage scores than Sokoto Gudali hides, suggesting breed differences in parasite resistance. Wet season hides show higher putrefaction rates than dry season hides. The study concludes that ectoparasite management and flaying skill improvement are the priority quality improvement interventions for Kano abattoir hide production. It recommends targeted flayer training and acaricide programmes.

Keywords: hide quality, cattle hides, abattoir, Kano State, ectoparasite damage.