For DVM, Veterinary Medicine

1. WELFARE OF
ANIMALS
DURING
TRANSPORT
Dr. S. Maryam Hussain
DVM
Animal Welfare and Ethics

2. THE IMPORTANCE OF GOOD TRANSPORT
 Animal welfare
 Economics - potential
production losses
 Deaths and injuries
 Dehydration
 Disease
 Meat quality

3. STAGES OF TRANSPORT 1
 Pre-transport handling, e.g.
 Herding, grouping and collection; withholding food and water
 Loading, e.g.
 Handling - facilities and stockmanship
 Type of vehicle

4. STAGES OF TRANSPORT 2
 Transport, e.g.
 Sea vs. road (air)
 Distance and duration
 Type of vehicle and driver’s skills
 Road surface
 Unloading at market (wet vs. dry)
 Handling to check identification?
 Holding pens (en route and at market)

6. AREA 1: GOOD FEEDING
 Hunger
 Thirst / dehydration
 Severe problem for poultry.
(Grandin, 2010b)
 Crowding
 Slippery surfaces
 Ramp to truck - too steep, no side
barriers, structured floors
 Heat / cold stress and humidity
 Journey distance and times
 Design of vehicle,
compartments, floors, bedding
 Road surface
AREA 2: GOOD HOUSING

7. AREA 3: GOOD HEALTH
 Injuries and pain
 Goads / sticks ð electric shocks / bruising
 Twisting tail / pulling on nose ring (Aram et al., 2010)
 Fatigue and muscle weakness ð falls ð bruising
 Rough handling increase fractures (laying hens)
 Nausea (motion sickness - pigs)
 Stress increased disease susceptibility
 E.g. respiratory disease in beef cattle (e.g. Mycoplasma bovis)

8. INTRODUCTION
 Animals may be subjected to various stressors during transport, which
compromise their health and welfare as well as meat quality.
 These relate to (i) physiological and clinical state of the animal (ii) feeding
and watering; (iii) rest and (iv) thermal environment (Bl et al., 2011).
 It is important to recognise that it is not journey duration but the associated
negative aspects that are the cause of the observed welfare issues.
 Factors such as extreme temperatures and lack of food, water and rest are all
exacerbated by the length of exposure, and thus, journey duration.

9.  If a journey is punctuated by stationary periods, these will influence the
welfare consequences of transport duration for the animals.
 Breaks of long duration will add to the total jour-ney time, and breaks which
are longer than is necessary to eat, drink and rest will increase the risk of
aggressive behaviour, which is rarely seen while the vehicle is in motion
(Gade & Christensen, 1998).
 Any infectious or metabolic diseases.
 As a general rule of thumb, any animal that exhibits clinical signs of sub-
optimal health should not be transported
 Some conditions affect physiological function, e.g., pneumonia can reduce
exercise tolerance and capacity to deal with heat (Cockram, 2019).

10. ANIMALS UNFIT FOR TRANSPORT
• Sick, injured, weak, disabled or fatigued
• Unable to stand unaided and bear weight on each leg
• Blind in both eyes cannot be moved without causing them additional suffering
• Newborns with an unhealed navel
• Pregnant animals in the final 10 % of their gestation period at the planned
time of unloading
• Females travelling without young, who have given birth within the previous
48 hours
• Whose body condition would result in poor welfare because of the expected
climatic conditions

11. ANIMALS UNFIT FOR TRANSPORT
 The very large or obese
 The very young or very old
 Those who are excitable or aggressive
 Animals who get motion sickness (pigs)
 Animals who are unused to humans
 Females in the last third of pregnancy
 Females in heavy lactation
 Culled and spent animals

12. Care while transporting animals e.g. prohibited
practices
• Dropping of animals
• Throwing animals
• Crushing or breaking tails
• Pulling them by the ears
• Lifting or dragging by body parts such as tail,
head, horns, ears, limbs, wool, hair or feathers

13. TRANSPORT OF ANIMALS BY ROAD
 Preparation of animals for the journey;
 Choice of road, rail, roll-on roll-off vessels or containers;
 Nature and duration of the journey and vehicle design and maintenance
 Space allowance, rest, water and feed.
 Forecast weather conditions (Animal Transport Association (AATA)
(2000), n.d.).

14. TRANSPORT OF ANIMALS BY ROAD
 Animal handlers should be experienced and competent in handling and moving
farm livestock and understand the behaviour patterns of animals
 Animals which are likely to harm each other in a group situation should not be
mixed.
 Air which is free of noxious gases and environment which provides the
opportunity for behavioural expression
 Access to suitable treatment (including prompt humane slaughter) when
required

15. TRANSPORT OF ANIMALS BY SEA
 Loading: Animal handlers should ensure that animals are loaded quietly and
without unnecessary noise, harassment or force, and that untrained assistants
or spectators do not impede the process (Norris, 2005).
 The facilities for loading, including the collecting area at the wharf, races and
loading ramps, should be designed and constructed to take account of the
needs and abilities of the animals with regard to dimensions, slopes, surfaces,
absence of sharp projections, flooring, adequate lighting, sides, etc.
 Unloading: Veterinary inspections should be completed as quickly as possible
(Norris, 2005).

16. TRANSPORT OF ANIMALS BY AIR
 03 environmental parameters - To maintain the welfare and comfort of live animals
temperature, relative humidity, cargo compartment CO2- concentration.
 The animals should be in good health, preferably not pregnant, and mixed species
should not be housed in the same container.
 If sedation is deemed necessary, then it is advisable that a vet travels with the
animal.
 Do not transport animals and CO2 (usually in dry ice form) in the same
compartment.
 When animals are self-loading, the slope of loading ramps should be minimised to
facilitate.
 Avoid mixing live animals with cargo that contains lot of moisture on the container,.
 Closing cargo doors last before departure and opening first on arrival may ensure
greater airflow and more comfortable conditions for the animals.

17. WELFARE POINTS DURING TRANSPORTATION
 Treat the animals which got sick during the long journey.
 Sedatives shall not be used on animals to be transported unless strictly
necessary.
 Lactating females of not accompanied by their offspring shall be milked at
intervals of not more than 12 hours.
 Make arrangements for animal care in transit and at arrival
 Just like when at home, animals must be provided water, food, proper
handling, and health care.