Acta Vet. Brno 2025, 94: 329-336
Combined effects of transport distance and season on rabbit mortality during pre-slaughter transport
Transport of rabbits from farms to slaughterhouses represents an essential component of intensive rabbit production. Mortality during transport serves as an important indicator of animal welfare and transport conditions. This study evaluated the effects of transport distance (≤ 50 km, 51-100 km, 101-200 km, 201-300 km, > 300 km), season (spring, summer, autumn, winter), and their interaction on rabbit mortality during transport to slaughterhouses in the Czech Republic from 2017 to 2023. In total, 1,806,815 transported rabbits were assessed. Across all seasons, most rabbits were transported over ≤ 50 km, and the fewest over 51-100 km. Mortality was significantly higher in spring and autumn, while the lowest mortality occurred in winter. The mortality rate generally increased with transport distance, except for the shortest journeys (≤ 50 km), where mortality was higher than for distances between 51 and 300 km. A significant interaction was observed between season and transport distance, with the highest mortality rate (0.556%) recorded during spring transports exceeding 300 km. These findings demonstrate a clear synergistic effect of season and transport distance on rabbit mortality. The results underscore the need to refine species-specific transport requirements and to consider both journey characteristics and seasonal risk when shaping animal welfare policy and commercial transport practices.
Keywords
Dead on arrival, slaughterhouse, veterinary inspection, welfare.
Funding
This study was supported by the Internal Creative Agency of the University of Veterinary Sciences Brno (Project No. 2024ITA26).
