Pig transport to slaughter causes significant acute stress and injury; regulations and handling improvements can substantially reduce this welfare burden.
Pig transport welfare encompasses the entire journey from farm to slaughterhouse: loading, vehicle conditions, journey duration, and unloading. Each phase carries welfare risks. Loading causes acute stress, particularly when pigs from different social groups are mixed — unfamiliar pigs fight immediately, causing injuries that persist through slaughter. Electric prods at loading cause significant pain and panic; training stockpeople to use alternative low-stress handling tools dramatically reduces both animal stress and human injury risk. Vehicle ventilation management in summer is critical — heat stress causes death and severe suffering. Journey duration limits, mandatory rest periods, and vehicle design standards are all established welfare levers that require consistent enforcement.