Transport is one of the most stressful events in a pig's life, and the welfare of transported pigs is shaped by journey duration, vehicle design, stocking density, and driver competence.
Pig transport welfare represents one of the most significant and tractable welfare improvements available in commercial pig production. The transition from farm to slaughter involves multiple stressors that compound each other: unfamiliar environment, social disruption from mixing, physical handling, vehicle motion, and often thermal stress. Long transport journeys extend all of these stressors and add fatigue. The welfare science is clear that shorter journeys substantially reduce cumulative stress indicators, and journey time limits significantly below current EU legal maxima are supported by the evidence. Local slaughter infrastructure, where pigs can be processed with minimal transport, is the gold standard but requires investment in rural abattoir capacity that has been declining across Europe for decades.