Pigs in airspace
As China has to import pigs due to losing half of its native population (i.e. approximately 30 % of the world's population) to African swine fever since 2018, 1,030 purebred breeding pigs flew approximately 11,000 km from London STN to Chengdu in a B747-8F last week.
The pigs, which had a stopover in Kazakhstan to freshen up their food and water supplies, were transported on behalf of Genesus, one of the largest independent producer of purebred swine globally.
The transport, conducted by Intradco Global, saw their new "Pig Lift" in action for the first time. The truck has been custom converted to enable the pigs to safely and comfortably move from their transport lorry to their crates. Both the front and back of the truck are adjustable in height. This allows the pigs to walk from one to the other without having to navigate steep ramps. (ah)