Abstract
The available floor space is an important welfare factor for cull sows during transportation. Sows of modern genetics reach a size and weight far exceeding those of fattening pigs. In most countries, there are no binding, consistent regulations for the maximum loading densities, especially for sows during road transportation. As a first step towards such recommendations, the physical floor space requirement (static space) of 100 sows of a current breed, while standing and lying down, were determined using contrast-based planimetry. An average sow covered about 0.42–0.47 m2 (standing postures) up to 0.53–0.63 m2 (lying postures). The largest measured area was 0.72 m2 for a sow lying in the belly-chest position. We detected a significant dependency of the covered floor area and the live weight, which supports the common practice to derive space requirements and recommendations based on live weight. Also, our results suggest that especially heavy sows, under currently usual loading densities, are at risk of having insufficient floor space requirements during transport. The results cannot be used to define the space required by a sow to carry out movements or sustain the individual need for distance (social/dynamic space) but provide data on the static space covered by sows of current breeds.
Highlights
The space allowance on the transport vehicle is an important factor for the well-being and health maintenance of pigs during transportation [1,2,3]
An essential starting point was set towards stocking-density recommendations for cull sow transportations by providing data of the static space, i.e., the actual physically needed floor space, of the current breed sow
The European legislation and the national legislation of most member states lack a recommendation on stocking densities for cull sows on transport vehicles
Summary
The space allowance on the transport vehicle is an important factor for the well-being and health maintenance of pigs during transportation [1,2,3]. No loading densities for transports on the road are legally specified, neither for sows, fattening pigs, or other animals. Already in 2001, the Canadian National Farm Animal Care Council provided recommendations on space allowance for different animal species, including pigs weighing up to 280 kg, but not for heavier sows [9]. The World Organisation for Animal Health (OIE) demands that during transportation, animals “should be able to adopt a normal lying posture, without being on top of one another”, and calculations on the space allowance should be based on “a relevant national or international document” [10]. Emphasis is given to the European situation, with its relatively extensive legal regulations on animal transport in general, but lack of recommendations for cull sows
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