Hog transport in extreme cold

Overview

With extreme weather comes an increased need to concentrate on animal welfare and safety. Cold can cause severe frostbite and death for hogs in transport.

Please review the sections below to learn more about fitness for transport and truck load calculations. It is the responsibility of all transporters to ensure rules are followed.

Fitness for transport

Which hogs are fit for transport and which are not? This fitness for transport fact sheet provides a summary of hog fitness, including hogs fit for transport with special for provisions and hogs unfit for transport. These considerations are important regardless of the weather.

Specifically weather-related, transporters must also consider the use of trailer panels and bedding. The Transport Quality Assurance (TQA) program includes the following mandatory guidelines:

Truck load calculations

How many hogs can be loaded per trailer? Manufacturer recommendations and recommendations from TQA guidelines provide truck load calculations to define how many hogs of a certain weight can fit in a trailer of certain dimensions.

Different sizes of hogs and different trailer configurations require different amounts of space for each hog. It is important to understand your situation prior to loading the trailer. Alberta Pork has a truck load calculations fact sheet that can help with making those decisions.

More information

For questions about hog transport in Alberta, including the TQA program, please contact Cristina Neva, Quality Assurance and Production Specialist, Alberta Pork by email at cristina.neva@albertapork.com or by phone at 780-440-8459, toll-free at 1-877-247-PORK (7675).