Study to Examine Benefits of Water Sprinkling and Ventilation Fans in Reducing Heat Stress During Transport

By Bruce Cochrane

Researchers working on behalf of Swine Innovation Porc plan to assess the value of equipping pot-belly trailers with water sprinklers in combination with cooling fans at the packing plant to reduce heat stress on pigs during transport.

In an effort to reduce the risk of the loss of pigs during transport due to heat stress, scientists working on behalf of Swine Innovation Porc will evaluate the use of pot-belly trailers equipped with water sprinklers in combination with the use of cooling fans located at the packing plant.

The study will assess the impacts of ventilation, with or without water sprinkling, during the wait before unloading at the abattoir on the behavior, physiology and carcass and meat quality of pigs and look into the effect of vibration.

Dr. Luigi Faucitano, a meat scientists with the Dairy and Swine Research and Development Centre of Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada, says three trucks will be compared.

Dr. Luigi Faucitano-Agriculture and Agri-Food Canada:
The first truck will be a control truck with no cooling system applied in the stationary situation before unloading at the plant.

The second truck is equipped with water sprinklers and on arrival at the plant this truck will be parked beside a fan bank and will be ventilated and sprinkled during 40 minutes.

The third truck will be just ventilated so it is not equipped with a water sprinkler and on arrival at the plant it will be parked beside all along the fan bank.

It will be ventilated during 40 minutes.
The objective is to see whether mechanical ventilation using fan banks is enough to improve the micro-climate inside the truck and the welfare of pigs inside the stationary truck or if this system combined with the water sprinkling is more efficient.

The project is scheduled to begin next summer and will be completed in 2017.

Source: Farmscape