Our noses alert us to a pig transport parked on a service area near Magdeburg, surrounded by other trucks. Small piglets are being loaded – according to the driver, around 1,300 animals in total, each weighing roughly 8 kg. Many of them are visibly unsettled. They climb over one another, move constantly, and are squealing. Others are pressed tightly together, lying on a thin layer of bedding that barely covers the floor.
It is one of many livestock transports we have been seeing these days on highways in northern Germany. The piglets come from Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, and we follow them for more than 6.5 hours to a rearing farm near Paderborn. We suspect that the maximum legal transport time of 8 hours for piglets under 10 kg may already have been exceeded, and we will be contacting the relevant authorities. In Germany, piglets are usually taken from their mothers after just three weeks and transported to so-called rearing farms. After about seven weeks there, they are typically moved again to fattening farms, before being sent to slaughter a few months later. It is therefore not surprising that so many of these transports are seen on the roads. At the same time, it is deeply troubling that the piglets are separated from their mothers so early and transported such long distances. This high number of animal transports is further increased by the fact that Germany is also a transit country for international journeys. We will continue to speak up for these very young animals, so that they are no longer subjected to long transport journeys and are cared for in a way that respects their age and basic needs during transport.
Here you can find further information on the transport of unweaned animals: Unweaned animals in transport: 8 hours is the maximum compromise.
