When air temperatures exceed 20 °C outside, pig comfort and meat quality can be improved during transport by sprinkling pigs before transport and unloading. Mortality of pigs during transport increases when it is hot outside and there are no regulations for cooling the pigs down. Sprinkling helps reduce the body temperature of the pigs as the inside of the truck is often hotter than the outside temperature. When the pigs’ stress is decreased, the meat quality improves. Sprinkling systems should be implemented in transport vehicles as they are effective in reducing stress levels in pigs.
Effectiveness of Sprinkling During Transport (full article)
