Transport of livestock in hot weather causes severe heat stress that kills thousands of animals and causes significant suffering — prevention requires proactive management.
Heat stress during livestock transport is a preventable cause of suffering and death that intensifies each summer. Pigs are exceptionally vulnerable: they cannot sweat, pant inefficiently, and generate significant metabolic heat in the confined space of a trailer. Even ambient temperatures that seem moderate can become fatal inside poorly ventilated trailers at high stocking densities. The consequences include distress, hyperthermia, collapse, and death — often without immediate visibility to drivers. Prevention requires proactive scheduling of journeys to cooler parts of the day, reduced stocking densities in warm weather, pre-wetting of animals and trailers, and effective ventilation systems. Emergency response — access to water and shade at journey rest stops — reduces severity when stress does occur.