Table 3.
Welfare consequences selected as ‘highly relevant’ per each of the transport stages involved in this Opinion
| WCs and definitions | Transport stages | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Preparation | Loading/unloading | Transit | Journey break | ||
| Group stress | The animal experiences stress and/or negative affective states such as pain, fear and/or frustration and stress resulting from a high incidence of aggressive and other types of negative social interactions, often due to hierarchy formation and competition for resources or mates. | X | |||
| Handling stress | The animal experiences stress and/or negative affective states such as pain and/or fear resulting from human or mechanical handling (e.g. loading/unloading). | X | X | X | |
| Heat stress | The animal experiences stress and/or negative affective states such as discomfort and/or distress when exposed to high effective temperature. | X | X | ||
| Injuries | The animal experiences negative affective states such as pain, discomfort or distress due to physical damage to somatic tissue types (bones, joints, skin, muscles). This can be due to injuries or pathological changes. | X | X | ||
| Motion stress | The animal(s) experience motion sickness, stress and/or fatigue due to the forces exerted as a result of acceleration, braking, stopping, cornering, gear changing, vibrations and uneven road surfaces during transport. | X | |||
| Predation stress | The animal experiences stress and/or negative affective states such as fear and/or pain resulting from being attacked or perceiving a high predation risk. | X | X | ||
| Prolonged hunger | The animal experiences craving or urgent need for food or a specific nutrient, accompanied by a negative affective state and eventually leading to a weakened condition as metabolic requirements are not met. | X | X | ||
| Prolonged thirst | The animal experiences craving or urgent need for water, accompanied by an uneasy sensation (a negative affective state) and eventually leading to dehydration as metabolic requirements are not met. | X | |||
| Resting problems | The animal experiences stress and/or negative affective states such as discomfort, and/or frustration due to the inability to lie/rest comfortably or sleep. (e.g. due to hard flooring, inability to perch or vibration during transport). This may eventually lead to fatigue. | X | X | ||
| Restriction of movements | The animal experiences stress and/or negative affective states such as pain, fear, discomfort and/or frustration due to the fact that it is unable to move freely, or is unable to walk comfortably (e.g. due to overcrowding, unsuitable floors, gates, barriers). | X | |||
| Sensory overstimulation | The animal experiences stress and/or negative affective states such as fear, discomfort due to visual, auditory or olfactory under/overstimulation by the physical environment. | X | X | X | |
WC: welfare consequence.