TRANSPORT TO THE SLAUGHTER

• During unloading and inspection of animals

entering the slaughterhouse

• In some cases ( i.e. integration of slaughter

and feedlot) during loading of animals on the

farm (instructions to handlers and haulers).

AT WHAT POINT IN CHAIN SHOULD

WELFARE OF ANIMALS CONCERN

PLANT MANAGEMENT?

EFFECT OF DIFFERENT PRE

SLAUGHTER PHASES

Unloading

Loading

Transport

Lairage

Stunning

Moving to point of stun

Sticking

Stressful - Positive +

ANIMAL WELFARE DURING

TRANSPORT

Can impact welfare of animals and quality of meat

Loading Transport Unloading

-Hunger and thirst

-Discomfort – stocking densities

-Heat stress

-Strange environment vibrations

-Fear and distress

Mixing of animals

Duration of transport

DEAD ON ARRIVAL

PLANNING AND PREPARATION

LOADING

• PREPARATION OF ANIMALS

• PREPARATION OF LOADING AREA

• PREPARATION OF STAFF

• PREPARATION OF VEHICLE

Loading

Pigs

Staff

Vehicles

Loading area

PREPARATION OF VEHICLES

• Protection from the weather and extremes of

temperature – animals constantly generate heat

- In the conditions- open deck – air movement

• Surfaces easy to clean and disinfect

• Partitions strong enough to cope with animals

falling against them

• Anti-slippery floors – animals can balance

themselves

• Loading and unloading equipment

LORRY DESIGN – CATTLE TRANSPORT

• Ventilation

- Open/ Closed deck according to weather

- Ventilation gaps in sidewalls that can be opened or

closed according to the weather are an advantage

NON SLIPPERY FLOORS

MODERN CONVERTIBLES

PADDING IN EXPOSED AREAS

DESIGNS OF VEHICLE

DESIGNS OF VEHICLE (open)

air)

PREPARATION OF ANIMALS

• Select a group of healthy animals

• Animals should be kept in same or larger group

than transported

• Expose them to more frequent handling

• Notice a leading animal in the group

• Withdraw food from cattle at least 4-6 hours prior

transport

• When animals were transported previously let them

settle at least for 12 hours.

• Water during transport

MIXING OF ANIMALS ON

SMALL AREA

WHAT ANIMALS SHOULD NOT

BE TRANSPORTED

TRANSPORT OR NOT TO TRANSPORT

• When is an animal not fit

to travel?

– Unable to move

independently or walk

unassisted

– Sick or injured

– Females, who have given

birth recently and young

with unhealed navel

– Females in last 10 % of

pregnancy

TO TRANSPORT OR NOT TO

TRANSPORT • sick, injured, weak, disabled or fatigued;

• unable to stand unaided and bear weight on each leg;

• blind in both eyes;

• that cannot be moved without causing them additional suffering;

• newborn with an unhealed navel;

• pregnant animals which would be in the final 10% of their

gestation period

• females travelling without young which have given birth within

the previous 48 hours;

• whose body condition would result in poor welfare because of

the expected climatic conditions

LOADING

• PREPARATION OF PIGS AT FARM

– FASTING

– LOADING SAME COMPARTAMENTS

FASTING Withdrawal feed periods

– Minimum 6 hours before transport

– Maximum 18 hours before slaughter

– Average 12 hours before slaughter

***Not to withdraw water

FASTING ADVANTAGE

During 6 – 18 hr (mean 12)

-Reduced motion

sickness

-Reduced vomiting and

death caused by

aspiration of stomach

content during transport

-Lower gut content , less

chance of rupture,

nicking and spoilage by

content

SHORT FASTING

( < 6 hr before transport)

• Motion sickness

• Vomiting and aspiration

problem

• Dilate stomach press

diaphragm : tachycardia

• Increase metabolism

↓

high body temperature

↓

Induce heat stress

TOO LONG FASTING

TOO LONG

( > 18 hr before

slaughter)

• Higher aggressivity and

fights in lairages after 18-

24 hours fasting

• Increased shedding of

salmonella after 24 hours

fasting

• Loss weight of carcass

• Induce DFD

Loss of 0,12 to 0,20% LV per hour (2,9 to

4,8% in 24 hours) = the loss of 1 for each lot

of 30 pigs (90Kg) sent to slaughter (Warris, 1995 apud Murray, 2000)

There may be a reduction of 5 – 6 % of

pigs live weight (1–2% of carcass weight) se

≥ 24h (Faucitano, 2000)

On the first 24 hours there may occurr loss

of weight of carcass ≥ 1 Kg/100 Kg PV (Murray & Jones, 1994)

LOSES DUE TO LONG FASTING

LOADING OF CATTLE

20°

RAMP FLOORS

LOADING OF

CATTLE

LOADING

• PREPARATION OF LOADING AREA

• RAMPS

– Non-slippery floors

– No slope or slope angle < 20⁰

– No gaps between ramps and lorry

– For 120 kg pigs, the cleats should be on 20 cm apart.

– Stairsteps work well on concrete ramps. For slaughter

weight pigs, the ramp should have a (6.5 cm) rise and

a (25 cm) long tread

– Remove any distractions

LOADING RAMPS

USE OF ELECTRIC PRODS

LOADING RAMPS

CENTRE OF GRAVITY

Angle of ramp in degrees

Time

in sec.

Loading

Unloading

VIDEO – LOADING CATTLE

LOADING DENSITY • Stand up, lie down

• Animals have to be able to step forward and

backward and step asides to cope with acceleration

and deceleration, turns and road conditions

Other considerations:

• Size of animals and breed

• Temperament and other (horned animals)

• Physical conditions (of animals)

• Weather conditions / do not overload in cold

• Duration of journey

Live weight Width per animal

250 0,33

300 0,37

350 0,41

400 0,44

450 0,47

500 0,51

550 0,54

600 0,57

650 0,60

700 0,63

750 0,65

800 0,68

850 0,71

900 0,73

950 0,76

1000 0,78

Adaptado Tseimazides (2006)

DIMENSIONS (Brazilian study,

TALLER AND LONGER ANIMALS

0,51 4,6 Cattle

0,51 10,8 Cattle

0,51 4,8 Cattle

RIGHT LOADING DENSITY

• Animals can lean towards each other while

balancing during the transport

STOCKING DENSITIES

CATTLE/EU

PIGS STOCKING DENSITIES

The Regulation states that, in order to

comply, for pigs of about 100kg the loading

density should not exceed 235 kg/m2, but

that more space may be needed to take

account of actual circumstances

SHEEP STOCKING DENSITIES

SHEEP STOCKING DENSITIES

• There is research evidence which concludes that

there were no differences in bruising when 35 kg

sheep were transported at 0.22 m2/head vs. 0.40

m2/head;

• The study refutes the common belief that sheep

must be packed in a truck to prevent bruising.

• Overcrowded load will not settle; sheep continue to

scramble for footing and continues to be noisy for

prolonged periods of time. Sheep may involuntarily

lie down and are unable to get up.

WIND SPEED CHILL EFFECT

PARTITIONS

To balance low stocking

density

To take off the pressure

from too many cattle leaning

towards each other

SEPARATION

• Animals of significantly different sizes or

ages

• Sexually mature males from females.

• Animals with horns from animals without

horns

• Animals hostile to each other.

• Tied animals from untied animals.

• Animals form different farms/groups

PLANNING AND PREPARATION

FOR TRANSPORT

• DURATION OF TRANSPORT

• PREPARATION OF DRIVERS

• PREPARATION FOR RISKS

Transport

Time

Drivers Risks

IMPACT OF TRANSPORT TIMES

• Knowles et al. (1993) studied effects of 9 and 14 hr of road

transport and recovery in lairage of hill lambs

• no measurable differences between the responses of the

lambs transported 9 vs. 14 hrs

• recovery after transport, in lairage, required 24 hrs for

dehydration and 96 hrs for liveweight.

• high levels of plasma beta-hydroxybutyrate, free fatty acids

and urea, after the journeys, indicated that the animals were

in a catabolic state.

• Knowles (1998) reported that complete recovery from 14 hr

of transport stress takes almost 5 days.

TRANSPORT PERIODS

• Transport pigs from farm to slaughterhouse as

soon as possible

• Planning the transport routes to use minimum

time

• During transport

– 1 ½ hours to 3 hours : Pigs remain standing

– More than 3 hours : Pig start lying down

BACTERIAL SHEDDING

• Marg et al. (2001) reported that,

• Transported pigs are increased Salmonella

Typhimurium DT-104 shedding rate (92%) >

not transported pigs (58%)

• The increased shedding, transported animals

had increased diarrhea and developed a

disturbed general demeanor.

THERMOREGULATION

Air temperature (oC)

Energy

balance

20 30 10

Optimal temperature range

for poultry

Optimal temperature range

for ruminants

Cold Heat

PREPARATION OF DRIVERS

• Drivers have to be mentally prepared and aware

at all times that they are carrying live animals

• The animals that stand during transport – cattle;

are most affected

• In each sharp turn, start and stop, fast

acceleration, animals have to rebalance and

repositions themselves

• Aware that they should check animals on the lorry

regularly

PREPARATION FOR

EMERGENCIES

EXAMPLES OF EMERGENCY

PLANS

• www.livestockwelfare.com

HIDDEN ECONOMIC LOSSES

• Casualities (bruising, injuries, exhaustion – special procedures, extra time)

• Bleedings (fights, mixing of unknown animals)

• Low quality of meat (blood-splash. haemorrhages, acute or chronic stress, DFD meat)

• Time, extra effort - work (stressed animals are more difficult to handle)

Schultz a Kaster 1998

UNLOADING

• Animals must be

unloaded from lorries as

soon as possible after

an arrival to the

slaughterhouse.

• If immediate unloading

is not possible shaded

area must be provided

for lorries to park

CATTLE LAYING ON THE FLOOR AT

THE TIME OF ARRIVAL • Cattle usually stand during the transport, only exhausted

cattle lie down and stay down on arrival

• This is a sign of poor welfare

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Organisation mondiale de la santé animale

World Organisation for Animal Health

Organización Mundial de Sanidad Animal

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