Before livestock is transported in livestock trailers, the farmer should be aware of the EU regulations concerning animal transportation and how they apply. These regulations do not apply when the animal is being transported for economic purposes or when transporting the animal to a veterinary service, but there are still EU safety measures that should be taken into account to ensure the comfort of the animal in what could be a highly stressful time for them. Trailers built with these measures in mind are most common, for example Hudson Trailers.
Why should we ensure the comfort and safety of an animal? Well first of all, if these animals form a section of our livelihood then surely it is appropriate to treat the animal with the respect it is due. This does not mean we treat the animal like a Paris Hilton style dog, showering it with gifts and pampering it. It does mean however that the animal should be as happy as possible when transportation is taking place. The animal isn’t a person and shouldn’t be treated as one, but there is a consideration of interests that the person should take into account.
Factors to think about are; the distance that will be travelled by the animal, is the animal fit to travel and are those handling the animals well-trained, confident and competent? Ideally journey times should be kept to a minimum, keeping the livestock in the pig or sheep trailer for as little time as possible. Inevitably there will be a small amount of stress for the animal regardless of what steps you take, but minimising this stress is what the regulations are put in place for. Food and water should be at a suitable height for the animal and easily accessible. Imagine if you were hungry and couldn’t reach the food that had been left out for you. Another necessity is making sure the animals have an adequate amount of floor space and height. As you can see, these regulations are common-sense. You wouldn’t put a person in squalid conditions to move them, why put an animal through such conditions?