Epsilon Archive for Student Projects

Abstract

When farm animals are transported there are several factors that can affect their welfare. If the vehicle has an accident the welfare of the animals transported will probably be compromised.

The aim of this study was to make a survey of accidents with animal transportation vehicles in Sweden. The survey included the number of accidents from January 2000 to May 2014, the cause of the accidents and how the animal welfare was affected by the accident. The authorities which were likely to have reports about accidents involving animal transports were contacted. There were no collected records about transportation accidents and the authorities referred to eachother for information. Search engines on the internet had to be used to find any accidents concerning animal transports in reports. Four interviews were carried out to determine how the animal welfare was affected and for determining how the accidents were affected by the live load of animals. In total, 39 accidents were reported by media during the chosen timespan and 31 of the vehicles made a rollover at the accident. The welfare of the animals was severely affected in many of these accidents and some of the suffering of the animals could have been avoided if the advices in the regulations of transport had been followed.

At transport the animals are live load, which means they can change the center of gravity. This phenomena may cause the accidents that were reported, since several of the transports were reported to be caused by the vehicle having one wheel outside of the tarmac by accident, and then the rollover happened when the driver tried turning the vehicle back up on the road. The live load of animals can be presumed to impair the drivers abillty to parry the movements of the vehicle, and by this urging on the momentum.