Today a team from Eyes on Animals returned to Boxtel to observe trucks with pigs on board, heading to the nearby Vion slaughterhouse. Last time we checked trucks arriving on a cold day here, there was much variation. Many trucks had had their shutters wide open, others mainly closed to protect the animals. Today we fortunately saw less variation, with 7 trucks only having a small crack open (good), and 2 with a slightly larger opening (could be better) . It was minus 5 degrees outside and with a wind factor while driving with a shutter open, much colder. Pigs are used to being housed in 18 – 20 degrees Celcius. It is important that the temperature in the trucks does not deviate too much from this, otherwise the pigs will experience cold stress. We will continue to keep an eye on this, and push for the development of standard operation procedures to avoid cold stress during animal transport.
Home » Our inspections » Inspections of pig trucks during cold weather, Boxtel (NL)