Advanced strategies for reducing the welfare costs of pig transportation through journey planning, vehicle design, and stockperson training.
Pig transportation welfare depends on a chain of decisions from farm departure to slaughter plant arrival, any link of which can compromise the whole journey. Mixed-group loading, inadequate ventilation in summer, and rushed unloading cause acute welfare impacts that cannot be remedied by good housing alone. The economic case for improved transport welfare aligns closely with the welfare case, as stress and injury both reduce carcass quality and meat yield. Industry investment in vehicle design, driver training, and journey monitoring represents an area where welfare and profitability improvements can be pursued simultaneously.