The transport of pigs to slaughter is one of the highest-risk welfare events in their lives, with journey stress, thermal challenge, and injury contributing to mortality rates that remain stubbornly above industry targets.
Pig transport welfare illustrates how multiple stress factors compound across a single welfare event. Loading stress, mixing with unfamiliar pigs, vehicle motion and vibration, temperature extremes, and unfamiliar environments at lairage all contribute to an acute welfare burden that affects millions of pigs. The welfare improvements that reduce transport mortality and distress — pre-mixing before transport, climate-controlled vehicles, short journey times, good lairage management — also improve meat quality by reducing transport stress-related metabolic changes. This welfare-quality alignment creates economic incentives alongside ethical ones for transport welfare improvement.