Pig transport to slaughter is a high-welfare-risk event. Evidence-based loading, journey duration, and lairage management significantly reduce stress, injury, and mortality.
Pig transport represents a significant welfare challenge involving multiple sequential stressors: separation from familiar social groups, loading and restraint, unfamiliar environments and vehicle motion, potential crowding and temperature extremes, and culminating in pre-slaughter handling and stunning. Each stage has scope for welfare improvement through relatively straightforward operational changes. Maintaining social groups during transport prevents fighting. Low-stress handling techniques and well-designed loading equipment reduce injury and fear during loading. Adequate space allowances allow pigs to stand, sit, and adjust position naturally. Journey duration limits prevent extreme dehydration and exhaustion. Lairage management with appropriate temperature control, pen size, and rest time before slaughter allows recovery from transport stress. These improvements also benefit meat quality, creating economic alignment with welfare improvement.