In an abattoir survey the stomachs of 1242 pigs from 15 farms were examined. Ulceration of the pars oesophagea was present in 22.95 per cent with a range from 4.7 to 57.4 per cent. The ulcers were graded mild in 9.5 per cent and severe in 13.4 per cent of the stomachs. Bile staining and hyperkeratinisation of the pars were significantly more common in stomachs with ulcers than in those without (P < 0.001), although the difference between the hyperkeratinisation in cases with severe ulcers and cases without ulcers was not significant. The daily liveweight gains of 208 males and 150 females from two units with a high prevalence of ulcers were calculated from their weaning weights at about five weeks of age and their slaughter weights at around 90 kg. At the abattoir their stomachs were examined for the presence of ulcers of the pars. The daily liveweight gain of the males was significantly greater than that of the females (P < 0.001), but the presence of mild or severe ulcers had no influence on the rate of gain of the pigs from either unit. The prevalence of ulcers in the males and females was 57.2 and 49.3 per cent, respectively, but the difference was not significant.
There is currently no published information on the conditions under which young pigs are transported. European Directive 95/29/EC concerns the protection of animals during transport but recommends no stocking density for pigs moved by road other than those of 100 kg live weight. A survey of 97 farms showed store pigs accounted for 64% of all inter-farm journeys. The most common weights were 26 to 30 kg. The mean stocking density for transport was 162kg/m2 (range 72-214 (s.d. 25) kg/m2). The mean journey time was 165 min and the distance 228 km. This experiment was designed within the range of stocking densities and distances travelled found in current commercial practice. Pigs were transported at high, medium and low densities. Posture and heart rate during transport were recorded.
Although the need for pigs to lie down on long journeys is not in question, there is evidence that they may not choose to do so on journeys of less than 3h (Hunter et al., 1994). These observations were undertaken to determine how pigs in the 95 to 100 kg weight range behaved on short journeys. A three-tier floating-deck vehicle with weld-mesh flooring was used because the popularity of three-deck vehicles is increasing (Riches et al., 1996).
Lairage staff at 11 abattoirs were asked to rate which producers regularly provided pigs which were ‘easy’ (EH) or ‘difficult’ (DH) to handle, on a scale of one (very DH) to five (very EH). A postal questionnaire, dealing with various aspects of post-weaning farm management, was then given to the four or five producers sending the most EH and the four or five producers sending the most DH pigs to each abattoir. Of 105 questionnaires sent, information on 26 EH and 27 DH systems was returned. The median number of replies per abattoir was two for both EH and DH systems. In most systems (77%) pigs experienced three or four housing stages from weaning to slaughter. In each of the first five housing stages, more EH pigs had access to daylight (mean of 86% ± 11.5 (SD)) than DH pigs (mean of 64% ± 10.1 (SD), P < 0.05, two-sample t test). More EH systems provided straw in the first three housing stages, although over all stages the difference was not significant. During housing stage two, the difference in provision of straw between the systems was most marked, with 58 per cent of EH and 27 per cent of DH systems providing straw. Distance walked between housing stages three to four and four to five was significantly greater for EH compared to DH systems (EH mean of 64m ± 24.1 (SD), versus DH mean of 22m ± 14.0 (SD), and EH mean of 73m ±17.2 (SD), versus DH mean of 23m ± 8.5 (SD), P <0.001 and 0.01 respectively, two-sample t test). At loading for pre-slaughter transport, moving from daylight to daylight conditions occurred in 65 per cent of EH and 25 per cent of DH systems. Overall, the results provide circumstantial evidence that environmental factors can affect ease of handling, and hence pig welfare during pre-slaughter transport and lairage.
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