Transporting pigs to slaughter is one of the highest-risk welfare events in pig production, causing significant stress, injury, and mortality that can be substantially reduced through better practices.
Pigs in transport face a cascade of welfare insults including social mixing with unfamiliar animals, unfamiliar environments, noise, vibration, temperature extremes, and inability to express normal escape behavior. Each stress compounds the others, and the combination frequently causes injury, illness, and death. Evidence-based improvements including journey time limits, proper loading density, temperature monitoring, competency requirements for handlers, and appropriate vehicle design can substantially reduce the welfare burden of pig transport with existing technology and knowledge.