The impact of the transport distance and season on losses of fattened pigs during transport to the slaughterhouse in the Czech Republic in the period from 1997 to 2004

Abstract

ABSTRACT:The welfare conditions in animal transport have a significant impact on the levels of stress burden on animals before slaughter in the slaughterhouse, and have an impact on veterinary decision-making about meat and organ edibility, and also on the quality of slaughtered animal meat. The ratio of ensuring the level of welfare in animal transport can be taken as the numbers of animals having died during transport and having died in the slaughterhouse shortly after transport is completed. As to the kinds of animals raised for meat, the issue of mortality in relation to transport is especially significant in pigs. In the period from 1997 to 2004, the transport of slaughter pigs, in terms of the protection of the animals against cruelty, was monitored in the Czech Republic. The aim was to ascertain pig losses in relation to transport to the slaughterhouse, to find out the impact of transport distance on losses of these pigs, and to determine the impact of the different seasons on losses of these pigs. The data concerning pigs fed for slaughter in the slaughterhouse (fattening pigs) was analysed, the data did not include the information concerning small sows, sows and boar kept for breeding and now excluded from breeding and slaughtered in the slaughterhouse. We have established the pig mortality level to be 0.107% ± 0.013%. However, this mortality level changed depending on the transport distance -from 0.062% ± 0.007% in the case of transport distances up to 50 km, to 0.335% ± 0.113% in the case of transport distances over and above 300 km. The level of losses of pigs increased with the length of transport distances, which is given to the long-term and higher-stress burdens in these pigs caused by longer transportation times. The seasons are expressed by the individual months, and had an impact on the transported pigs' mortality number. Altogether, the highest losses occurred in the summer months, especially in June, July, and August. The increased mortality in the summer months is related to the higher ambient temperature in these months, which has a negative impact on the welfare of the pigs, and thus also on the higher pig losses during transport. The ascertained results produced evidence for the relatively high sensitivity of pigs to the stress burden caused by transport to the slaughterhouse and showing themselves in the number of pigs having died due to transport. The increasing transport distance and higher ambient temperature in the summer months show themselves in the increased number of pigs having died in relation to their transport to the slaughterhouse.

Ameliorative effect of ascorbic acid on rectal temperature and live weight of pigs transported by road for eight hours during the harmattan Season

“…The meteorological results obtained demonstrated that transportation of pigs during the thermally stressful harmattan may adversely affect the pigs, and, consequently, impair the homeostatic mechanisms of the animals. This is similar to the findings of Vecerek et al (2006) that the AT during road transportation influences the level of well-being in pigs. Such responses have been established to have negative effects on both the health status and productivity of animals (West, 2003).…”

“…The present result also indicated that the RT values rose significantly with the duration of the journey, especially in the control pigs. This supported the findings of Vecerek et al (2006) that the road transportation stress burden of pigs increases with the increasing transport distance. This further demonstrated that road transportation was more stressful to control than experimental pigs, administered with AA.…”

“…The RT values recorded during the journey demonstrated clearly that transportation increased significantly the values of RT in both the experimental and control groups of transported pigs. This confirmed the findings of Ayo and Oladele (1996), Rajion et al (2001) that the period of transportation of an animal is one of the most traumatic in its life time (Crowther et al, 2003;Vecerek et al, 2006).…”

“…This is important because pigs are often transported to areas located far outside where they are produced for many economic purposes as reported by Giovagnoli et al (2002). A colossal loss both in quantity and quality of meat, high morbidity and mortality has been observed in transported animals (Ayo et al, 1996;Speer et al 2001;Vecerek et al, 2006). Thus, the administration of AA to pigs over a long distance and across different geographical zones for many hours may result in minimal loss in pigs if they are administered with AA prior to commencement of the journey.…”

“…Pigs are reared for meat, and often they are transported several times in their lives (Warris, 2004;Vecerek et al, 2006, Adenkola, et al, 2009. The most common means of transportation for all livestock species including the pig all over the world and including Nigeria is by road (Ayo and Oladele, 1996;Adenkola et al, 2009), which is stressful (Von Borell, 2001;Minka and Ayo, 2007a, b;Adenkola et al, 2009).…”