Pig transport to slaughter is a high-risk welfare period involving multiple stressors that can cause significant suffering and death if not carefully managed.
Pig transport concentrates multiple welfare stressors in a brief period - social disruption from mixing unfamiliar animals, novel environments causing fear, vehicle motion causing stress, temperature extremes, and the potential for physical injury during loading and transport. Pigs' highly social nature and sensitivity to novelty makes them particularly vulnerable to transport stress compared to less reactive species. Electric goads used to move pigs cause acute pain and fear that persists in the transport environment. Heat stress kills pigs rapidly due to their limited thermoregulatory capacity - a single hot transport journey can cause mass mortality. Welfare-centered transport management including calm handling, appropriate stocking density, temperature control, and minimal journey duration substantially reduces suffering during this high-risk period.