Transport is a multifactorial stressor. For some pigs with certain pre-transport characteristics, the challenges of transport make their fitness for transport questionable from a scientific point of view. The European regulation (Council Regulation 1/2005 and to a lesser extent 853/2004) lays down rules for the protection of animals during transport including information about fitness for transport of pigs. In 2016, DG Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE) published a report providing an overview of systems to prevent the transport of unfit animals in the EU (DG SANTE, 2016). In this EURCAW-Pigs review, the scientific knowledge about fitness for transport is reviewed against the background of the relevant European legislation, including a discussion of central terms in the European regulation – such as injury and unnecessary suffering. In addition, the usefulness of these terms as indicators of fitness for transport, to be used during inspection, is discussed, and potential indicators of fitness for transport of different categories of pigs are proposed, in addition to the criteria listed in the legislation.
Original language
English
Publisher
The European Union Reference Centre for Animal Welfare Pigs (EURCAW-Pigs)
