Road transport is one of the most stressful events in a pig's life, involving loading, vehicle motion, unfamiliar smells, mixing with strange animals, and unloading. Journey planning, vehicle standards, and stockperson competency together determine welfare outcomes.
Transport stress accumulates across multiple stressors: capture, restraint, loading, noise, vibration, social disruption, and thermal extremes. Pigs are particularly vulnerable to heat stress during transport because they cannot sweat effectively and rely on respiration for thermoregulation. Welfare-centred transport requires trained loaders using calm, low-noise handling techniques, well-designed loading ramps without steep gradients or gaps, vehicles with adequate ventilation and partition systems, and abattoir receiving facilities that minimise lairage duration. Monitoring of lairage mortality rates and dark firm dry meat incidence tracks transport welfare outcomes.