Creature comforts
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Arguments over the ethics of transporting livestock from the UK into the Community look sure to run and run, certainly until government guidelines meet an acceptable, commonsense line between the hauliers' needs and animal rights pro testers. Yet there's no let up for the manufacturers of livestock transporter vehicles who strive to develop efficient and humane methods of loading, carrying and unloading the various beasts within the present weight and dimension limits.
Any attempt to interrupt an industry worth around £200 million a year would normally be met with a determined rebuff from the government.
However, the live animal export trade is an emotive topic that continues to exert relentless pressure from animal welfare groups on everyone involved in it.
There's a general abhorance to the way that transit animals are treated by rogue operators which is why Agriculture Minister William Waldegrave is aiming to introduce a code of conduct for livestock hauliers.
Disagreement
Unfortunately, there is abject disagreement among Community ministers on an official time limit between feeding and watering stops, particularly the southern EC states which prefer a 22-hour interval against Germany's call for a more acceptable eight hours. For the UK's part, aligning it with the driver's daily hours limit seems the most appealing choice.
Meanwhile, major ferry firms Brittany, P&O European and Stena Sealink have sided with pressure groups and have refused to carry livestock on their ships until animal welfare problems are sorted out. Some hauliers and farmers have been forced to charter ships or even aircraft to move animals but one company, MT Shipping, has now started a new Plymouth-Cherbourg livestock ferry service.
Amidst this turbulence livestock transporter manufacturing and refurbishing still thrives. One trailer builder, Houghton Parkhouse Coachworks, has decided after 40 years in the business that the time is ripe to complement its livestock trailers with insulated and refrigerated versions.
It also has sufficient faith in the future of the industry to have invested over £250,000 in a spanking new factory adjacent to its original plant in Milnthorpe, Cumbria, complete with the very latest in spray/shotblast technology.
Houghton's new reefers will be produced either from bought in body kits or a mix of self-made and "off-the-peg" components. Body side panelling will come in from outside suppliers.
Should they be needed vacuum presses for turning out a range of bulkheads, floors and roof sections can be sited at its original workshop facility. Final assembly of the reefer bodies and fitting on to Houghton's own trailer chassis will take place in the new factory.
Houghton's new transporter for PIC. Two will have solid tail-lifts.. HPC intends to specialise in multicompartmental bodies using nose-mount or under-body fridge units and with secondary decking as an option. There will also be a choice of chassisless construction.
Because Houghton already uses CAD/CAM systems in the design and production of its complex animal carriers much of this know-how will be carried over to the production of the new range. Moving into the reefer business may seem unusual but it will remain secondary to its mainstream work of producing good quality animal transporters.
One of its prime products is the Professional range which offers operators the means to transport a variety of animals on vehicles that provide a suitable number of decks.
One popular version
includes an allaluminium electrohydraulic/cable lifting floor body that can be built with up to three decks for rigids or trailers. It enables a haulier to transfer three tiers of pigs or two levels of cattle and includes adjustable pens to give them adequate floor area.
The main difficulty is ensuring sufficient headroom for all types of animal within the overall height limits.
Vehicle heights
In the UK the heavier 38-tonners are pegged at 4.2m and although the EC wants this cut to the continental 4.0m barrier, the Department of Transport is looking at a range of possible changes including that of vehicle heights. However, a firm decision is some way off.
Houghton's lifting deck system is one favoured by a number of companies, including the Abingdon-based Pig Improvement Company which produces prime breeding stock. It shifts them using a fleet of 20 vehicles but is anxious to standardise on modern livestock transporters.
PLC has ordered two new double-floored bodies from Houghton on MAN 17-tonne chassis along with a pair of standard single deckers on MercedesBenz; the four are on contract hire via BRS.
The chassis have air suspension for creature comfort and the 24ft (7.3m) aluminium bodies are flush sided for extra width. To maintain the best possible environmment in transit the interiors are fitted with a fine spray or misting device to lower the interior temperature when necessary.
In addition there are adjustable pens to separate various sizes of pig plus special onboard drinking systems.
Both are built for dock loading but the two-tier MAN's Belgian-made Solid tail-lift will raise animals up to the top floor.
One of the major problems when transporting animals long distance is the excessive build up of gases such as ammonia fumes, so providing ventilation in changeable climates is vital. To counter this Houghton has developed and patented a system of moving vanes along the body sides that will automatically modulate air flow inside using inner sensors according to the temperature around the animals.
The design will also allow the sides to close up fully so that when thoroughly cleaned the trailer can return with general goods.
A 13.6m container version of this is currently being used by the Ministry of Agriculture Fisheries and Food-funded Silsoe Research Institute in Bedfordshire.
Houghton Parkhouse's joint owner Michael Houghton designed the new 4,600m2 factory
which blends well with the surrounding area. Its twin 10-tonne overhead cranes, smaller swivelling cranes, 250-tonne presses and extending vacuum jigs has enabled HPC to modernise its existing premises.
It includes a large heated CV paintshop with two 17.5m heated booths into which HPC is adding its own design of powered scaffolding. Alongside is a shot-blasting bay that can handle steel or aluminium trailers.
Countering corrosion caused by uric acids from the animals is a big problem for the bodybuilder which is why such thorough metal preparation and treatment is so necessary.
The paint section is working at around two-thirds capacity on tankers, box vans and livestock trailers including several large fleet respray contracts.
The new factory is not yet fully on stream, but with its busy order book and new reefer designs in the pipeline. Houghton is optimistic about the future.
E by Bryan Jarvis