Guinea pig meat production in South America: Reviewing existing practices, welfare challenges, and opportunities

Gustavo Donoso; Juan Sebastián Galecio; Oscar Giovanny Fuentes-Quisaguano; Monique Pairis-Garcia

doi:10.1017/awf.2025.26

Guinea pig meat production in South America: Reviewing existing practices, welfare challenges, and opportunities

Gustavo Donoso
, Juan Sebastián Galecio
, Oscar Giovanny Fuentes-Quisaguano
, Monique Pairis-Garcia^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

Veterinaria

North Carolina State University
Escuela de Veterinaria

Research output: Contribution to journal › Review article › peer-review

6 Scopus citations

Abstract

Guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) have been consumed and revered in South American countries since precolonial times and continue to serve as both an important protein source and an economic driver for underserved and remote communities in the region. However, currently, there is limited peer-reviewed research on the welfare status of these animals in meat production systems. This scoping review seeks to provide an overview of guinea pig meat production in the region, highlighting potential welfare challenges and exploring opportunities to advance animal welfare practices within these systems.

Original language	English
Article number	e29
Journal	Animal Welfare
Volume	34
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1017/awf.2025.26
State	Published - 2025

Keywords

Animal husbandry
Five Domains
Latin America
animal welfare
cavy production
food animals
traditional livestock

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10.1017/awf.2025.26

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title = "Guinea pig meat production in South America: Reviewing existing practices, welfare challenges, and opportunities",

abstract = "Guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) have been consumed and revered in South American countries since precolonial times and continue to serve as both an important protein source and an economic driver for underserved and remote communities in the region. However, currently, there is limited peer-reviewed research on the welfare status of these animals in meat production systems. This scoping review seeks to provide an overview of guinea pig meat production in the region, highlighting potential welfare challenges and exploring opportunities to advance animal welfare practices within these systems.",

keywords = "Animal husbandry, Five Domains, Latin America, animal welfare, cavy production, food animals, traditional livestock",

author = "Gustavo Donoso and Galecio, \{Juan Sebasti{\'a}n\} and Fuentes-Quisaguano, \{Oscar Giovanny\} and Monique Pairis-Garcia",

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doi = "10.1017/awf.2025.26",

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T1 - Guinea pig meat production in South America

T2 - Reviewing existing practices, welfare challenges, and opportunities

AU - Donoso, Gustavo

AU - Galecio, Juan Sebastián

AU - Fuentes-Quisaguano, Oscar Giovanny

AU - Pairis-Garcia, Monique

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © The Author(s), 2025.

PY - 2025

Y1 - 2025

N2 - Guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) have been consumed and revered in South American countries since precolonial times and continue to serve as both an important protein source and an economic driver for underserved and remote communities in the region. However, currently, there is limited peer-reviewed research on the welfare status of these animals in meat production systems. This scoping review seeks to provide an overview of guinea pig meat production in the region, highlighting potential welfare challenges and exploring opportunities to advance animal welfare practices within these systems.

AB - Guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) have been consumed and revered in South American countries since precolonial times and continue to serve as both an important protein source and an economic driver for underserved and remote communities in the region. However, currently, there is limited peer-reviewed research on the welfare status of these animals in meat production systems. This scoping review seeks to provide an overview of guinea pig meat production in the region, highlighting potential welfare challenges and exploring opportunities to advance animal welfare practices within these systems.

KW - Animal husbandry

KW - Five Domains

KW - Latin America

KW - animal welfare

KW - cavy production

KW - food animals

KW - traditional livestock

UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105005004210

U2 - 10.1017/awf.2025.26

DO - 10.1017/awf.2025.26

M3 - Artículo de revisión

AN - SCOPUS:105005004210

SN - 0962-7286

VL - 34

JO - Animal Welfare

JF - Animal Welfare

M1 - e29

ER -

Guinea pig meat production in South America: Reviewing existing practices, welfare challenges, and opportunities

Abstract

Keywords

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