Precautions for Live Pig Transport and How to Choose Transport Vehicles
Preparations before transport:
(1) Before transferring live pigs, a business agent must be sent several days in advance to contact the live pig purchasing unit, and sign a contract or agreement according to the transfer plan and price, so as to achieve transport upon arrival, shorten purchasing time, and reduce economic losses.
(2) Feeding management of live pigs awaiting transport: Whether self-bred or purchased locally, pigs must not have feed or water withheld for 2 days before transport. The last feeding before transport should not be too full (70% full is sufficient), as overfeeding can easily cause death during transport. Live pigs awaiting transport must undergo strict quarantine, and some thin, weak, diseased or disabled pigs should be culled and handled locally. Two days before transport, piglets awaiting transport should be divided into pens and groups according to the vehicle capacity for feeding and management, to avoid fighting among pigs when mixed together, so as to establish a new group hierarchy and reduce stress responses during transport. When conditions permit, before loading, the pigs awaiting transport can be given intravenous injections of some sedatives, such as 25% magnesium sulfate, 2.5 to 7. 5 grams per pig; or intramuscular injection of chlorpromazine hydrochloride 0.2-0.4 grams per pig, or special-effect injectable preparation, which can effectively reduce stress responses on the road and avoid severe weight loss and death.
(3) Check the transport vehicles well: Before departure, the transport vehicle must be carefully checked, such as whether the carriage floor has protruding iron nails or gaps, whether the surrounding railings are secure, and whether the vehicle's power machinery is operating normally. In addition to the driver carrying all necessary documents, the escort of the operating unit must also carry the business license, invoice, health certificate, quarantine certificate (including vehicle disinfection certificate), epidemic prevention mark, and live pig transfer documents, to prevent missing any one document and being stopped by relevant checkpoints on the road, which would prolong transport time. For live pigs transferred to other provinces and regions, the live pig quarantine certificate, disinfection certificate, epidemic prevention certificate, and invoice must also be carried. According to the season and climate, various equipment should be prepared at any time, such as a canopy for trucks; in cold winter, the front and both sides of the vehicle should have covers. In hot summer, buckets should be prepared for conveniently taking water on the road to sprinkle and wet the vehicle and the pigs' bodies to prevent heatstroke. Before vehicle disinfection, first rinse the carriage floor, canopy, surrounding railings, and wheels with clean water, wait for them to dry naturally, then spray and disinfect with 1%-2% caustic soda solution or 0.05%-0.50% peracetic acid for 40 minutes, and finally rinse clean with water before loading pigs.
Special reminder: The driver's cab, shoes, and clothes must be disinfected frequently, otherwise they will become hidden dangers.
(4) Choose the driver and escort well: For long-distance transport of live pigs, two skilled and experienced drivers must be selected to drive in turns. Also, 1-2 people with a strong sense of responsibility and escort experience should be selected as escorts, so that the pigs can be managed well at any time during transport.
(5) Points to note when loading pigs: Decide whether live pigs can be transferred according to weather conditions. Do not transport live pigs long distance in windy, snowy, rainy, especially hot, or especially cold weather. Do not drive them violently when loading, to prevent increased stress and causing death or crippled limbs and lameness on the road. Load according to the carriage capacity and the already divided pens and groups of pigs awaiting transport. In hot summer, do not make them too crowded; in cold winter, the density can be slightly higher. The carriage floor should preferably be padded with a layer of disinfected straw or sawdust (if the floor is wooden, it may not need padding), to prevent pigs from standing unsteadily and slipping, causing crippled limbs and lameness. If it is a double-deck carriage, each deck should be divided into small pens, and each small pen can best hold 4-5 pigs. When loading pigs, load larger pigs in the small pen near the front of the vehicle, and load slightly smaller pigs in sequence in the middle and rear pens. After loading, carefully check whether the rear door and both side railings are secure, to prevent accidental loss of pigs on the road.