Scientific Opinion Concerning the Welfare of Animals during Transport

Abstract

The Scientific Opinion on the welfare of animals during transport reviewed the most recent scientific information concerning the main farm species. New scientific evidence and consequent conclusions and recommendations were arranged following the structure of Annex I of EC Regulation 1/2005 5 . On fitness for transport, recommendations for cattle and poultry were focused on repeated humane handling and careful inspection prior to transport. On the means of transport, use of partitions in horse transport, compulsory fasting of pigs with provision of water at stops, and temperature limits for poultry were major recommendations. Maintaining stability of animal groups was recommended as good practice, with special emphasis on the need to avoid mixing unfamiliar pigs or goats. On watering and feeding intervals, journey times and resting periods, journey duration should not exceed 12 hours for horses and 29 hours for cattle. Horses should be supplied with water one hour before and one hour after transport, and for cattle there should be a 24 hour recovery period with access to food and water. For rabbits, time spent inside the containers during lairage should be considered journey time. Space allowance for horses should be given in terms of kg/m 2 instead of m 2 /animal. For cattle and sheep, it is recommended that space allowances should be calculated according to an allometric equation relating size to body weight. Limits for stocking densities of broilers in containers should be related to thermal conditions. On the navigation systems, temperature monitoring systems should be incorporated. Minimum standards should be established regarding data type to be recorded, the 4 The changes do not affect the overall conclusions of the opinion. To avoid confusion, the original version of the opinion has been removed from the website, but is available on request, as is a version showing all the changes made.

Do Pigs Have Adequate Space in Animal Transportation Vehicles?—Planimetric Measurement of the Floor Area Covered by Finishing Pigs in Various Body Positions

“…Most of these are fattening pigs transported to the slaughterhouse by trucks. During these journeys, fattening pigs are exposed to numerous and variable stressors, such as variations in ambient temperature, vehicle movements, handling by humans, social pressure by mixing unfamiliar pigs or inappropriate space available (2–4). It is generally accepted that the loading density on the transport vehicle has a strong influence on the welfare of the pigs and that the provision of appropriate space is a key factor (5).…”

Welfare of cattle at slaughter

“…Regarding these elements, the only preventive measure for insufficient space allowance is to adjust the number of cattle to the size of the pen in the truck according to the recommendations. More space should be allowed if a journey is longer than 12 h and if the climatic conditions are warm (EFSA, 2011). No corrective measures for the hazard insufficient space allowance exist, except to unload cattle as soon as possible.…”

Brexit and Animal Welfare Impact Assessment: Analysis of the Threats Brexit Poses to Animal Protection in the UK, EU and Internationally

“…To put this in context, Compassion in World Farming (CIWF) lobby for a maximum total journey time of eight hours [98]. The reason is that transportation causes live animals substantial stress and suffering, which increase with longer journey times [99].…”

“…Finally, the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has a role to inform the EU Commission on animal health and welfare. It is a highly respected body of expert scientists that has produced a number of helpful reports on animal welfare issues [99,146]. Brexit will mean that that the UK loses access to EFSA.…”