Influence of floor and litter type on welfare during transport

This study shows that 1 cm of dry sawdust, i.e., 5 l per pig is enough to keep pigs in good condition during transport lasting 16 h. The sawdust provides greater comfort in winter owing to its insulating properties. Italso calms the pigs. In contrast, in hot weather, to prevent breathing problems and still keep the pigs clean it proves useful to dampen the sawdust by spraying the animals. Plastic-coated wire slatting is an alternative to litter. Its main disadvantage is cleaning and disinfecting the floor. The design of floor slatting and truck bodyworkmust allow easy and quick washing of flooring. Lastly, as rubberized flooring is non-slip, the animals can move about more during the transport, which is useful for feeding and watering the animals.