Transport is one of the most stressful events in the life of a farmed pig. Evidence-based improvements to loading, journey duration, and conditions can significantly reduce suffering.
Transport exposes pigs to multiple simultaneous stressors: unfamiliar social groups, confinement, motion, noise, temperature extremes, and food and water deprivation. Mixing unfamiliar pigs in transit causes fighting and injury. These stressors are cumulative and interact — heat combined with crowding and social stress produces far worse welfare outcomes than any single factor alone. Well-designed transport systems with non-slip flooring, adequate space, ventilation, and mixing-free loading significantly reduce these welfare costs. Reducing transport distances and investing in local slaughter capacity is the most effective single intervention for transport welfare.