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.

Handling, loading, transport time and unloading in connection to transport of farm animals affect animal welfare. Induced effects include both psychological and physiological stress responses in animals. The physiological parameters may be measured through blood analysis while behavioural changes often manifest themselves through increased vocalisation, escape attempts and apathy. Physiological parameters are additional parameters of importance when measuring animal stress responses. The handlers behavior during transport has been shown to have major impact on animal welfare and the quality of meat. Animal friendly handling and driving of animals create a more manageable work environment for the handlers. To further increase animal welfare in connection to transport, stables should be built with well adapted drift passage and ramps on the transport vehicle.