Each year, millions of live farm animals around the world are transported thousands of miles for slaughter, or to places where they will be fattened for slaughter. Animals have to endure long voyages before they reach their final destination.
What to consider?
Countries, territories, states, and even public modes of transportation have requirements and restrictions on transporting animals. The regulations help protect people, animals, and ecosystems by guarding against the spread of dangerous diseases, pests, and invasive and injurious animals. When transporting an animal, there are various issues that one needs to consider. Such include;
Species transport vessels- this is important to consider so as to avoid pain and injury to the animal. If the vessel is too confined, animals will end up being congested, and they can end up getting injured and their organs getting crushed if the vessel is too small, causing the animal to be injured. The means of transport, containers and their fittings should be well designed and constructed.
Sound knowledge of the species- such include; sex, social structure of the animal, nutrition and feeding requirements, animal’s health and medical history, environmental requirements including lighting, humidity and temperature, behaviour profile including individual characteristics and peculiarities.
Weather conditions, status of transport routes, potential causes for delays, border wait times, legal obligations that may include commercial licenses, driver ‘s rest, traffic bans, truck scales, chase vehicles, passport requirements, visas, locations of fuel and repair services, etc. should be investigated and must be taken into account prior to the onset of transport.
Customs and veterinary clearances
Contigency plans in the event of an emergency are strongly recommended.
Recommended ways of transport of live animals
The need to transport food animals occurs essentially in commercial agriculture and to a lesser extent in the rural or subsistence sector. These animals need to be moved for a number of reasons including marketing, slaughter, re-stocking, from drought areas to better grazing and change of ownership. Typically, methods used to move animals include; on hoof, by road motor vehicle, by rail, on ship and by air.
Generally, the majority of livestock in developing countries are moved by trekking on the hoof, by road and rail. Historically, livestock has been moved on foot, but with increasing urbanisation of the population and commercialisation of animal production, livestock transport by road and rail vehicles has surpassed this.
Transport of livestock is undoubtedly the most stressful and injurious stage in the chain of operations between farm and slaughterhouse and contributes significantly to poor animal welfare and loss of production.
Existing Gap
In the laid laws of transport of live animals, there is an existing gap. The movement permits laid down by the law do not cover chickens. This is a huge gap, considering that chickens are the most affected. They are transported on motorcycles, on bicycles, crumbled on top of buses for very long distances. The government needs to come up with laws that favour than transport of chickens so people can start embracing the humane methods of transporting chickens, and other animals.
