The acceptance of animal products is increasingly associated with standardized animal welfare, which relates to appropriate animal husbandry from birth to slaughter. In particular, shipment to the slaughterhouse is considered as a critical process exposing the animals to a number of, in part severe, stressors. New biomarkers may be useful for the assessment of animal welfare. The IGF-system has been assessed in a commercial pig transport in conjunction with established markers of stress response. Furthermore, the effect of repeated restraint as an experimental model for repeated acute stress was investigated. During shipment from farm to slaughterhouse, plasma concentrations of IGFBP-3 and IGFBP-2 were significantly reduced (p < 0.01). After shipment, the plasma concentrations of IGFBP-5, glucocorticoids and IL-2 increased but decreased after lairage (p < 0.05) whereas IGF-1 decreased after shipment (p < 0.01). Repeated acute stress increased concentrations of IGFBP-3 and IGF-1 in exsanguination blood (p < 0.05). Differential IGF- signatures can indicate altered endocrine or metabolic control and thus contain complex animal-related information. The somatotropic axis may be of particular interest when established biomarkers such as cortisol, glucose, or lactate cannot be used for the assessment of animal stress or welfare.

Experimental Animal Facilities Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology Dummerstorf Germany

Fleischwerk EDEKA Nord GmbH 19246 Lüttow Valluhn Germany

Institute of Animal Science Department of Ethology Prague Czech Republic

Institute of Behavioural Physiology Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology Dummerstorf Germany

Institute of Genetics and Biometry Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology Dummerstorf Germany

Institute of Genome Biology Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology Dummerstorf Germany

Institute of Muscle Biology and Growth Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology Dummerstorf Germany

Institute of Nutritional Physiology 'Oskar Kellner' Leibniz Institute for Farm Animal Biology Dummerstorf Germany

Ligandis GbR 18276 Gülzow Prüzen Germany

Sherbrooke Research and Development Centre Sherbrooke Canada

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