Effects of journey duration and temperature during pre-slaughter transport on behaviour of cull sows in lairage

This observational field study investigated the effects of journey duration, temperature, and waiting duration before unloading on the behaviour of 562 cull sows during lairage from 23 commercial loads. Each load consisted of sows originating from more than one herd, thus experiencing variable pre-slaughter transport and management. In lairage, sows were mixed in groups of 25, involving animals from all journey durations (min-max: 0.8-8.4 h) and video monitored for 60 min. At first most sows were in upright position (approximately 80-90%), decreasing to 30-40% after 30 min. After 60 min, 42% of the sows had initiated aggression (min-max: 0-43 events/sow), 28% had been subjected to aggressive behaviour (min-max: 0-14 events/sow), and 36% s were observed drinking (min-max: 0-16 events/sow). Several significant interactions were found between journey duration, the average temperature in the vehicle and lairage pen (averages: 4.3-26.2 °C) and waiting duration before unloading (min-max: 3-25 min). For example, after short journeys, sows exposed to higher temperature carried out more aggressive behaviour, while a higher temperature after long journeys was associated with more lying and less drinking. This suggests that the sows prioritised lying behaviour over drinking and establishing a dominance hierarchy. We discuss how the results may be interpreted as behavioural signs of fatigue, but further studies, for example involving quantification of physiological and motivational indicators, are needed to clarify this. Irrespectively, the present findings suggest that a stay in a lairage pen, as part of the pre-slaughter logistic chain, involves challenges for the welfare of the cull sows.

The Application of an Augmented Gravity Model to Measure the Effects of a Regionalization of Potential Risk Distribution of the US Cull Sow Market

The continuous threat of foreign animal disease (FAD) is real and present for the U.S. swine industry. Because of this, the industry has developed plans to ensure business continuity during a FAD outbreak. A core aspect of these plans is regional standstill orders of swine movements to prevent disease spread following a FAD introduction. Unfortunately, there is a dearth of information about the impact of such practices on animal movements throughout the remaining swine marketing channel. This study utilizes a simplified gravity model, to understand the effects of standstill orders on individual states. The effect of each closure on the established trade patterns is determined by monitoring changes in a PPML regression coefficients of the model. Model validation compared the predicted impact of the closure of a terminal processing facility against a real-life closure dataset collected during the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic. The analysis determined that both the population size and location of the closure affected the observed trade patterns. These findings suggest that using a regional stop movement order may complicate disease introduction preparation as each policy comes with its own potential outcome, shifting the geospatial distribution of area risk posed by these cull populations.