The aim of the study was to evaluate the conditions of transport and the welfare of fatteners as well as to assess transport losses depending on the distance of transport and the annual production scale of fatteners. The material comprised data describing 120 transport operations during which 4300 fatteners were transported for slaughter. The study shows that animals were transported both by means of specialized vehicles as well as by adapted means of transport, mainly agricultural aggregates. Specialized vehicles were more often used in long-distance transport and from farms with a larger annual production scale. The research showed numerous cases of exceeding admissible norms of the number of fatteners during transport, mainly in the transport carried out by the largest producers. The study proved that the percentage of tired and injured animals rose as the distance of transport increased. The greatest economical losses resulting from the decrease in the welfare of the fatteners per one transported animal was observed in transport at the longest distance and from farms with the largest production scale.

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The paper discusses the results of animal transport controls con-ducted by the Voivodeship Road Transport Inspectorate in Rzeszów from 2012 to 2017. During the analysed period, 904 controls of animal transportation have been carried out. The obtained results show that numerous irregularities still occur during the transport of animals. The percentage of transport in which violations were observed amounted to 15,66% in 2014 and to 30,90% in 2012. Most non-compliances concerned the working time of the drivers and the incapacity of the vehicle to transport animals. The obtained results point to the need for intensified controls of the rules and conditions of animal transport.