**1. Introduction**

Stress associated with transport has been documented in pigs by a large number of studies [1–3]. According to literature, transport stress can cause changes in the behaviour and normal physiological function affecting negatively the welfare of the animals and meat quality attributes [4,5]. It is well known that response to the journey can be influenced by the genotype [6], and factors such as temperature and humidity [7,8], truck conditions [9,10], transport, and/or lairage durations [11] and handling of the animals [12]. Blood parameters at exsanguination have largely been used to assess the stress of transport in livestock [13–15].

In pigs, extensive studies on blood parameters after transport have been carried out in conventional commercial breeds and their crossbreeds, whilst little information exists on local pig breeds such as Erhualian [16] and Basque [17].

Among the indigenous Italian pig breeds is Apulo-Calabrese which is included in the list of endangered breeds by the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization [18] and registered in the herd book held by the Italian National Association of Pig Breeders (Associazione Nazionale Allevatori Suini, ANAS). In the year 2017, the breeding population counted 540 sows and 63 boars reared in 63 farms, 31 of which can be found in the Calabria region [19] Apulo-Calabrese is a black-skinned, medium-sized pig with small socks on the forelimbs and large socks on the hind limbs [20]. It is well adaptable to different production systems and can be reared outdoor or indoor in a conventional system [21]. Meat from Apulo-Calabrese is processed into four Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) salami, typical of the Calabrian region [20]. In Italy there is an increasing interest in the welfare of local breeds due to the growing consumer preference for PDO animal friendly products, however, existing research does not provide information on the response of this breed to the transport procedures.

The aim of this study was therefore to investigate the effect of short distance transportation on behavioural response, blood parameters, and meat quality traits of Apulo-Calabrese with respect to crossbreeds.

## **2. Materials and Methods**
