Automatic washing machinery to make live easier for pig transporters
Washing and disinfecting the vehicles used to transport pigs is no easy matter. The manual process has to be carried out every time a vehicle has delivered pigs to the abattoir. A danish company in collaboration with the Danish Meat Research Institute is in the process of developing a machine that can wash the inside of vehicles automatically.

Project AUVO will make life much easier for those involved in the pig transportation business. Instead of manually washing the vehicles at the abattoirs after delivering the pigs, drivers will be able to take a breather and leave the dirty work to a machine. The automated process will also mean reduced costs for the abattoir.

“The project has been running for one year,” explains Project Manager Per Arnmark. “We have initiated preliminary cost-benefit analyses, have done some calculations and a prototype machine is currently being developed with our partner, Egatec. If everything goes according to plan, there will be benefits for the abattoirs, the haulage companies and particularly the drivers.”

Like a tornado

Currently a driver has to wash the inside of his vehicle 2-4 times a day, depending on the number of journeys he makes to the abattoir. As the process can take anything from 30 and 80 minutes, some drivers can spend 2-3 hours washing their vehicle per day. Drivers also have to ensure that straw is spread on to the vehicle floor to prevent the pigs from slipping during transportation.

“During the test phase we’ll try to work towards a solution along the lines of a car wash at a petrol station. The washing robot has to be faster and wash like a tornado – and be thorough so as to prevent infection spreading between the herds,” explains Per Arnmark.

The Danish transport firm SPF has already developed a stationary robot for washing and disinfecting SPF vehicles. The challenge for the AUVO project is to devise a system that remains at the abattoir and can wash four different types of vehicle of varying length and design.

The AUVO project has been awarded a grant by the Pig Levy Fund and the Danish Food Industry Agency.

For further details, please contact Per Arnmark at par@danishmeat.dk