Effects of travel distance and the season of the year on death rates of broilers transported to poultry processing plants.

Death losses among broilers transported to processing plants are caused by poor welfare. The number of birds dying during transport and in processing plants shortly after arrival there may serve as an indicator of the quality of welfare during loading and transport. In the Czech Republic, shipments of broilers to processing plants were monitored from 1997 to 2004. It was found that the mortality of broilers during transport was 0.247%, but it varied according to the transport distance to the processing plant from 0.146% (50 km maximum) to 0.862% (>300 km). The broiler mortality in transit was also influenced by the season of the year. The highest mortality was found in summer months, especially in June, July, and August, and in winter months, especially in December, January, and February. A comparison between period 1 (1997 to 2000) and period 2 (2001 to 2004) showed a long-term adverse trend in the number of broilers dying during transport to processing plants for all of the distances monitored (except transport distances <50 km), because the overall number of dead birds on arrival to processing plants increased from 0.224 to 0.265% (index of 1.18). This difference is statistically significant (P = 0.000). The stress caused to broilers by transport to processing plants is reflected in higher transport-related mortality of the birds. Long-term trends point to an increase in death losses of broilers. Longer transport distances and transportation in summer and winter months have led to an increase in death losses among broilers transported to processing plants.