The transport of pigs from farms to slaughter is one of the highest-risk welfare events in the pig production cycle, with documented suffering from heat, overcrowding, and exhaustion.
Research shows that even short journeys cause measurable physiological stress in pigs. Transport combines multiple simultaneous stressors: novelty, loading, overcrowding, motion, and temperature extremes. Pigs transported in summer heat face thermal stress they cannot manage. Longer journeys compound all these risks. Maximum journey time regulations and improved vehicle design are key welfare interventions.