Impacts of Reduced Stocking Density on Broiler Welfare During Transport: Evidence from a Hungarian Study Under Moderate Climatic Conditions

Broiler transport density plays a crucial role in animal welfare, meat quality, and economic efficiency. The European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) has recently recommended increased space allowances for broilers during transport to improve welfare. This study statistically evaluated the effects of reduced stocking density under commercial Hungarian conditions. A total of 176,198 Ross 308 heavyweight broilers were transported over a 19 km distance at moderate springtime temperature (7-13 °C) using 33 trucks, of which 14 (7 control and 7 test) were included in the comparison. Control trucks followed the EU-regulated density (160 cm²/kg; 5610 birds/truck), while test trucks applied the lower EFSA-recommended density (200-210 cm²/kg; 4334 birds/truck). Dead-on-arrival (DOA) birds and carcass condemnations were evaluated for all transported birds, while injuries and bruising were assessed by sampling 277 carcasses per truck, consistent with industrial auditing practice. Significant differences were observed between the two treatment groups. The reduced-density group showed higher rates of DOA birds (0.61% vs. 0.36% in the control, a 69% relative increase), more wing injuries (6.91% vs. 4.28%, +61%), more bruising (6.76% vs. 3.40%, +98%), and a higher rate of carcass condemnations (0.78% vs. 0.57%, +38%). These findings indicate that increasing space allowance during transport may not improve welfare under moderate continental conditions and may even increase injury risk, with potential economic and environmental consequences for stakeholders. The results highlight the need for further research covering longer journey durations, wider temperature ranges, and alternative crate designs before the broad implementation of the EFSA-recommended transport densities.