The extreme heat this summer has brought up the discussion surrounding animal health, particularly when it comes to transport.    

File photo.

Mark Fynn, Manager of Quality Assurance and Animal Care Programs with Manitoba Pork, explained precautions are being taken to ensure the safe movement of pigs in the province.

Measures include providing ventilation through the trailer by opening up all the sidings, keeping the units moving to ensure continuous air flow, and keeping pit stops short in order to avoid heat from building up in the trailer.

"Pigs don't have long hair for the most part, or anything that would trap in heat, so when we have the good ventilation on the trailers that we do they can dissipate the heat pretty well by just having the air flowing over them," said Fynn.

As for the age-old question of whether pigs sweat, Fynn confirmed that they don't and instead cope with the heat through panting like most other animals. He explained if pigs start showing these signs, then it's time to take additional steps to cool them down, adding the goal is to avoid as much discomfort as possible.

"Most of the time when you see animals on trailers they look pretty relaxed, they'll be laying down within an hour of being on the transport. If you're seeing those signs within the animals then we know that they're doing pretty well in the transport," said Fynn. "If we start seeing stuff like panting or more open-mouthed breathing we realize they're starting to get a bit hot and we want to make sure we step in before there's any level of discomfort."

He added the pigs are also well hydrated going on to the trailers and are given plenty of water before being loaded. They are also given water upon arriving at their destination. "Pigs don't express any interest in actually drinking water during transportation," noted Fynn.

Fynn noted most transports are fairly short, lasting only a few hours and within the province, so the pigs aren't in the trailers for long periods of time. He added there are regulations for how long the animals can be in transport, but said the vast majority of trips don't come anywhere close to that limit.