Stocking density affected none of the meat quality characteristics directly but there were strong interactions (p < 0 . 001) between stocking density and day for all characteristics with the exception of MQM-value in BF (Table 2). MQM-values in LD were higher on the second transport for O-35 and O-39 but lower for 0.42m2. There was no difference between days for O-50 m2 (Table 3). For a stocking density of 0.35 m2 ultimate pH-values were lower on the second transport than on the first and for 0.42 m2 the opposite was the case for three of the four muscles measured (BF, S and LD). The other stocking densities showed a variable picture sometimes with no difference between days, sometimes higher, sometimes lower on the second day, all depending on muscle. The frequencies of PSE and slightly DFD-meat were low in all cases and only PSE in BF showed any systematic trend, slightly higher with the highest stocking densities. With one exception the frequencies of PSE and DFD did not differ between individual days within stocking density. For 0.39m2 PSE frequency in BF was higher for the first transport than on the second (10% as against 1%).