Temperature and Relative Humidity Inside Trailers During Finishing Pig Loading and Transport in Cold and Mild Weather

Abstract

Simple SummaryThe multi-site nature of the modern pork industry makes transport an essential part of swine production. It is well documented that transport induces stress in pigs. Bedding levels can have a significant effect on temperature and relative humidity inside the trailer. This study aims to determine the effects of bedding level on trailer temperature and humidity between average air temperatures of 4 °C and 18 °C. Relative humidity was greatest when higher levels of bedding were used during loading and transport in cold but not mild weather.AbstractThe effect of bedding levels and trailer compartment on internal trailer temperature and relative humidity (RH) during loading and transport of finishing pigs was evaluated in cold and mild weather. Three levels of bedding were used in each experiment: 0.6 m3, 1.2 m3, and 2.4 m3. In mild weather, internal temperatures were lower when 1.2 m3 or 2.4 m3 of bedding were used during loading and transport compared to 0.6 m3 (P < 0.05). Internal trailer temperature increased in a quadratic fashion in the top front compartment when 1.2 m3 was used (P < 0.05), and in a linear fashion in the top rear compartment when 2.4 m3 were used in cold weather (P < 0.05). In mild weather, temperature increased linearly in the top front compartment with heavy bedding levels. Relative humidity increased in a linear fashion in the top front compartment with 0.6 m3, bottom front with 1.2 m3, and top front with 1.2 m3 in cold weather (P < 0.05). In general, temperature and RH increased as bedding levels increased in both cold and mild temperatures. Excess bedding can absorb more moisture, resulting in transport loss and decreased animal welfare

Logistics Issues in the Brazilian Pig Industry: A Case-Study of the Transport Micro-Environment

“…Also, pigs transported on the second floor of the truck (mean = 40.1) showed a difference of 1.2 • C when compare pigs located on the first floor (mean = 38.9). [13] showed an increasing of dead pigs with increase the ST after transportation.…”

“…In the present study, the schedule of pigs transportation during the afternoon is unsuitable for the animals (Table 2). The truck micro-environment is determined by AT, RH and WS [13]. However, other variables also affect the truck microenvironment during transportation, such as stocking density, size, weight and age of animals, and vehicle motion.…”

“…The pigs surface temperature was assessed using a thermal infrared camera (Testo model 875, Testo Co., Germany). The measurements were taken every 5 min [13], during the logistics of the pre-slaughter phase, except the surface temperature that took place during the loading and unloading of animals. The thermal images were taken from the lateral of the truck in randomly select pigs located on the first and second truck floors.…”

Factors Affecting Trailer Thermal Environment Experienced by Market Pigs Transported in the US

“…Further exploration of trailer thermal environment under TQA guidelines is merited to better understand the factors contributing to undesirable conditions. Projects commissioned by the NPB to evaluate and revise TQA guidelines found that the guidelines required minimal changes [ 28 , 29 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 34 ]. It was reported by [ 30 ] that the highest rate of DOD pigs at arrival occurred when low boarding (<30% coverage) was used for outside temperature < 5 °C.…”

Efeitos do transporte e descanso pré-abate no nível de lesões na pele de suínos terminados

“…O transporte engloba complexas operações que fazem com que os animais vivenciem diversas experiências estressoras MCGLONE et al, 2014b), tais como extremos de temperatura, vibração e alternâncias de aceleração, estímulos sonoros, confinamento e aglomeração , os quais representam uma nova experiência aos suínos, fator esse agravante para o estresse dos mesmos . Pode ocorrer em mais de um estágio do ciclo produtivo de suínos (FAUCITANO; GOUMON, 2018) e, juntamente com as etapas de carregamento e descarregamento, representa um importante evento de estresse na vida dos mesmos (MARCHANT-FORDE; MARCHANT-FORDE, 2008;SCHWARTZKOPF-GENSWEIN et al, 2012;MCGLONE et al, 2014;NEWMAN et al, 2014), influenciando também no índice de mortalidade (DALLA COSTA et al, 2019a).…”