Welfare of Pigs Being Transported over Long Distances Using a Pot-Belly Trailer during Winter and Summer

A total of 2,145 pigs were transported for 8 h in summer (six trips) and winter (five trips) using a pot-belly trailer accommodating pigs in four locations (upper deck or UD, bottom-nose or BN, middle deck or MD and bottom deck or BD). Heart rate of pigs during loading and transportation and lactate...

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Bibliographic Details
Published inAnimals (Basel) Vol. 4; no. 2; pp. 200 - 213
Main Authors Correa, Jorge A, Gonyou, Harold, Torrey, Stephanie, Widowski, Tina, Bergeron, Renée, Crowe, Trever, Laforest, Jean-Paul, Faucitano, Luigi
Format Journal Article
LanguageEnglish
Published Switzerland MDPI AG 25.04.2014
MDPI
Subjects
blood metabolites
heart rate
pigs
pork quality
season
transport
pigs
pork quality
season
blood metabolites
heart rate
transport
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Summary:A total of 2,145 pigs were transported for 8 h in summer (six trips) and winter (five trips) using a pot-belly trailer accommodating pigs in four locations (upper deck or UD, bottom-nose or BN, middle deck or MD and bottom deck or BD). Heart rate of pigs during loading and transportation and lactate and creatine kinase (CK) concentrations in exsanguination blood were measured. Meat quality was evaluated in the Longissimus thoracis (LT), Semimembranosus (SM) and Adductor (AD) muscles. During summer, pigs loaded in the UD and MD had higher (P < 0.05) heart rate at loading compared to those located in the BD and BN. Blood lactate and CK concentrations were higher (P < 0.001) in winter than in summer. Lactate concentration was higher (P = 0.01) in the blood of pigs transported in the BN. Pigs transported in the BN had higher pHu values in the LT, SM and AD muscles (P = 0.02, P < 0.001 and P = 0.002, respectively) and lower (P = 0.002) drip loss values in the SM muscle. This study confirms that some locations within the PB trailer have a negative impact on the welfare of pigs at loading and during transport with more pronounced effects in the winter due to the additive effect of cold stress.
Bibliography:Present address: Department of Animal and Poultry Science, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada; E-Mail: storrey@uoguelph.ca
Present address: Canadian Meat Council, Ottawa, ON, K1Z8P9, Canada; E-Mail: jorge@cmc-cvc.com
ISSN:2076-2615
2076-2615
DOI:10.3390/ani4020200