Transport is one of the most welfare-compromising stages of pig production. Understanding and reducing transport stress saves lives and reduces suffering.
Transport represents a concentrated period of welfare challenge for pigs — handling, loading, unfamiliar environments, vibration, temperature extremes, and social stress from mixing all occur simultaneously. The cumulative physiological impact includes elevated cortisol, dehydration, metabolic acidosis, and in extreme cases, fatal stress-induced myopathy. Welfare interventions at the transport stage include training pigs to loading ramps before transport, minimizing journey times, maintaining appropriate temperature ranges, and avoiding mixing of pigs from different social groups. Mobile abattoirs that eliminate transport entirely represent the highest-welfare approach but face significant economic and regulatory barriers to widespread adoption.