The overall goal of the work conducted was to assess the performance of an improved prototype livestock trailer with ventilation, heating, misting and air filtration systems in maintaining a welfare-friendly and pathogen-free environment during transport. The testing and evaluation comprised of road tests and disease-challenge tests. The road tests aimed to evaluate the performance of the trailer’s ancillary systems (ventilation, heating, misting systems) in maintaining acceptable environmental conditions for the pigs, and assess the general welfare of the animals during transport. The disease-challenge tests, on the other hand, were carried out to assess the effectiveness of the trailer in protecting against airborne pathogens from the external environment. So far, four road tests and two disease-challenge tests have been completed. Based on the results, the trailer’s ancillary system was able to maintain acceptable environmental conditions in the animal compartment during transport. In addition, results of the disease-challenge tests showed that the installation of an air filtration system in the trailer could protect the pigs from exposure to airborne transmissible diseases such as Influenza A virus. Additional road and disease-challenge tests are currently underway to provide a more definitive conclusion on the impact of the trailer equipped with an air filtration system on the environmental conditions of pigs and in preventing disease infection during transport.
Road and disease-challenge tests with a modified prototype livestock trailer (full article)
