Document Type
Article
Publication Date
12-2013
Abstract
The transport of fattening pigs is characterized by a strong human-animal interaction. Consequent handling is important because of animal welfare, meat quality and matching economic consequences. During road transport, human impact can be divided in different steps: 1) driving pigs from the pens via an alley to the trailer, 2) loading, 3) actual transport, 4) unloading to the lairage, and 5) the final phase driving pigs to the stunning. An inadequate design and a poor condition of the facilities will negatively affect the ease of handling pigs. Because of the consequences, acute stress during transport and slaughter should be minimized by acting on the education of people, on equipment and on preparation of animals for the journey. Education programs have to be repeated regularly so that knowledge can be refreshed.
Recommended Citation
Driessen, B., Peeters, E., Van Thielen, J., & Van Beirendonck, S. (2013). Practical handling skills during road transport of fattening pigs from farm to slaughterhouse: A brief review. Agricultural Sciences, 4(12), 756-761.
Included in
Agribusiness Commons, Animal Studies Commons, Operations and Supply Chain Management Commons
Comments
Copyright © 2013 Bert Driessen et al. This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.