With more warm weather forecast over the coming days, it is important to take extra care to protect livestock while they are being transported in such conditions.

Exposure to high temperatures and humidity is a major threat to animal welfare during transport, the North’s Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA) has advised.

This poses a serious risk during the summer months and it has said that failure to take account of high temperatures when planning journeys and a lack of adequate contingency plans can cause suffering to animals.

It advises farmers and hauliers that contingency plans should be in place for every journey, and are particularly important in hot conditions as delays, which might be relatively insignificant under normal conditions, can become critical very quickly.

Drivers should be able to recognise signs of heat stress, take appropriate action and provide plenty of water and electrolytes to livestock in transit, it says.

10 tips to avoid unnecessary suffering of animals during transportation when the weather is warm: