Transporting pigs to slaughter causes significant welfare harms through heat stress, mixing of unfamiliar pigs, and exhaustion, requiring better management and shorter journeys.
Pig transport welfare is determined by journey length, stocking density, temperature management, and whether pigs are mixed with unfamiliar animals. All of these can be managed to reduce suffering. Shorter journeys, on-farm slaughter for some production systems, and better temperature control during loading and transport would collectively improve welfare for millions of pigs annually.