WO2000053003A1

WO2000053003A1 - Apparatus for storage/transport of livestock and method of construction of such apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2000053003A1
Application number: PCT/GB2000/000839
Authority: WO
Inventors: Andrew Morrison
Original assignee: Morrisons Corrugated Products Limited
Priority date: 1999-03-11
Filing date: 2000-03-10
Publication date: 2000-09-14
Also published as: AU5647100A; GB9905649D0

Abstract

Apparatus for storage/transport of livestock comprising a storage/transport unit, said unit comprising walls and a base, the walls being cosntructed and arranged so as to be at least in part removable from said base, so that the livestock animals contained inside said unit can be caused or allowed to exit from the unit; and a method of assembly of such apparatus.

Description

APPARATUS FOR STORAGE /TRANSPORT OF LIVESTOCK AND METHOD OF CONSTRUCTION OF SUCH APPARATUS

This invention relates to a method and apparatus for the storage and/or transport of livestock, particularly, but not exclusively for the storage and/or transport of chicks.

Currently livestock such as chicks are transported in conventional cardboard boxes which have been compartmentalised in order to define a plurality of sub- boxes or compartments in which the chicks are kept during transit. One particular problem which arises in relation to such conventional transit boxes is that on arrival at a destination the only way to safely remove the chicks from their individual sub compartments is to do so individually by hand. This is a long and slow process and inevitably what actually happens in the real world is that the pressure of time and productivity targets causes the cutting of corners and the process of chick disembarkation becomes a case of rapid removal of the top lid and immediate inversion of the box to remove the chicks, which causes considerable potential damage to the chicks due to their forced and uncushioned descend from a height at least equal to the minimum dimension of the box and usually much greater.

There is disclosed in EP-A-0 960 563 an animal cage having a polyhedral base and with the sides connected to adjacent sides through articulation means permitting angular movement of at least 90 degrees.

There is disclosed in GB-A-2 331 982 (Seyfert) a package for delivery of products comprising a skeletal frame (2) having an insert (4) of disposable material such as cardboard.

Neither of the two above priority publications discloses a method or apparatus for the storage or transport of livestock wherein confined livestock is released after storage or transport by disconnecting confining walls which have been secured together in end-to-end fashion. The aim of the present invention is to provide improvements in relation to one or more of the above problems, and/or to provide one or more improvements generally.

According to the invention there is provided a method of constructing a unit for storage and/or transport of livestock as defined in the accompanying claims.

The base may comprise cover means adapted to be folded into a covering position over said base and the method may comprise causing said cover means to be covering said base to confine said livestock. In this way undesirable escapes of livestock from the unit can be prevented.

The walls of the unit may be formed by one or more one- piece elements and said method may comprise the step of interconnecting the ends of said element to form a closed structure which can both receive and support the base within the walls. The base may also comprise a one-piece element from which the base may be formed by cutting and folding said one-piece element to form said base. This simple construction of the unit enables efficient production of units at relatively low cost.

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided an apparatus for storage/transport of livestock as defined in the accompanying claims.

The apparatus may comprise divider means for dividing said unit into two or more sub-units. The divider means prevent the livestock from being accidentally moved from one end of the box to the other end during transport of the apparatus. This could injure the livestock. The walls preferably comprise support means for supporting the base. One or more walls may taper inwardly upwards. This prevents the base from being lifted away from the walls to release the livestock. The intended mode of use of the apparatus is to release the walls to allow the livestock to exit. The unintended procedure of lifting the base out of the apparatus to release the livestock (more rapidly) could be damaging to the livestock, since the livestock would experience a drop of at least the height of the walls.

As hereinbefore described the unit may further comprise cover means adapted to be folded into a covering position over said unit to cover said unit. The cover means preferably comprise interlocking elements for interlocking the cover means in a covering position. These interlocking elements may consist of simple slits in the cover means which can engage with one another when the cover means are in a closed covering position.

The walls may be formed by a single length of linear sheet material . This material may be adapted to be folded to form corners of the unit. The walls may further comprise a fastening means adapted to join the adjacent ends of the wall to form an endless encircling loop. The fastening means may be of a quick release type which enables quick disengaging of the walls so that the walls can be removed from the base to allow the livestock to exit from said base. The quick release type fastening means may comprise an attachment element, for example a tongue which is locatable in a corresponding opening provided at the opposite end portion of the wall and folded to secure. The walls may be released by unfolding the attachment element. A turnable release device may also be employed. According to another embodiment of the invention the base may be formed by a single length of linear sheet material adapted to be cut and folded to form a support surface for supporting the livestock. Divider^' means may be provided on the base for dividing the supporting surface into two or more sub-units or compartments. The base may also be used independently from the apparatus as an insert in any suitable box for transporting livestock.

The linear sheet material of the base may further comprise two portions, each portion being adapted to form divider means and support surfaces, each portion extending from said sheet material . The sheet material may also further comprise means for forming further divider means. These further means enable further dividing of the sub-units or compartments . The further divider means may be arranged between the divider means. The divider means may engage with the further divider means to hold the divider means in place when the base is assembled. In a preferred embodiment the divider means may comprise one or more first engagement members in the form of tongues which can engage with one or more corresponding second engagement members in the form of grooves being provided on the further divider means.

The single length of linear sheet material of the base may comprise means for forming cover members for covering the unit. These cover members may comprise interlocking elements for interlocking said cover members into a covering position when the cover members are folded in a closed position.

The cover members may be connected to the base by means of side walls which may connect the cover members to the base.

In an alternative embodiment the base may be lifted from the walls by opening the cover members and pulling said cover members in an upward direction to lift the base away from the walls. In this way the livestock which is contained in the compartments of the base is allowed to escape. A disadvantage of this alternative embodiment is that the livestock can be damaged since the livestock experiences a forced and uncushioned descent from a height which is at least equal to the height of the walls of the apparatus. The previously described embodiments are therefore preferred. To prevent the base from being lifted from the walls, one or more walls may taper inwardly according to another embodiment of the invention. In this way it is achieved that the livestock is only allowed to exit the unit by at least in part releasing the walls.

In another embodiment the apparatus may comprise one or more ventilation openings. The ventilation openings may be provided on the base and/or the walls and/or the support means and/or the cover members and/or the side walls. One or- more ventilation openings on the support means may correspond with one or more ventilation openings on the walls. The apparatus may comprise means suitable for stacking multiple apparatus according to embodiments of the invention. When stacking multiple apparatus it is important that the livestock can get sufficient air to prevent suffocation of said livestock. To that effect in a preferred embodiment multiple ventilation openings are provided on the apparatus to prevent this .

In an alternative embodiment one or more blanks may be provided for constructing a storage/transport unit as described above .

There may be provided a first or inner blank which comprises a one-piece sheet of material for forming both a support surface for supporting livestock and for forming divider means for dividing said unit into two or more sub- units or compartments. This blank may form the base of the storage/transport unit.

This first blank may itself comprise two portions for forming respectively divider means and support surfaces, each portion being formed from a sheet of board or the like material as hereinbefore described, the sheet of such material further providing further divider means between said portions which may be arranged between said divider means . Said blank may also comprise cover means in the form of cover members for covering the unit when said cover members are in a closed position. Interlocking elements may be provided on the cover members to hold the cover members in a closed position. Further blanks may be provided for forming the walls and/or support means for supporting the base on the walls as described herein. The walls may comprise one or more one- piece elements. The one-piece elements may be interconnectable in end to end fashion. The one-piece elements may be identical. Suitable means may be provided on the end portions of said elements for interconnecting said elements. The interconnecting means may comprise a tongue being provided on one end portion which may engage with a slot provided in another end portion. The walls may be formed by two identical one-piece elements, the elements being interconnectable. Each element may form two side walls. When viewed in plan, the two side walls may be at an inclination relative to one another to allow to side walls to taper inwardly when the walls are assembled from said two one-piece elements.

A particular embodiment of the invention provides a box for the conveyance of chicks from one location to another and seeks to provide improvements in relation to the currently available box-type apparatus used for the purposes which is a conventional cardboard box which has been compartmentalised in order to define a plurality of sub- boxes in which the chicks are kept during transit .

According to another aspect of the invention there is provided a method and apparatus for transporting and/or storing chicks and the like livestock. The apparatus comprises a storage/transport unit which may be of box- like format, comprising walls and a base. Lid or other cover means may be provided. The unit may be divided into two or more sub-units or compartments by divider means. The side walls of the unit are constructed and arranged so as to be at least in part removable from the base so that the chicks therein can be caused or allowed to exit from the unit merely by removing completely or in part the side walls, thereby leaving the chicks unconfined and able to move away as is desirable where the chicks have been brought to a place in which they are to live and grow.

In another embodiment the base of the unit is arranged to be simply lodged on support means provided on the relevant internal faces of the side walls of the box or unit.

Also in another embodiment, the side walls of the box are formed by a single length of linear sheet material adapted to be folded at the corners of the box and having a connector adapted to join the adjacent ends of the wall to form an endless encircling loop.

The construction of the wall member may be in accordance with the disclosure in our own published PCT patent specification of application No. GB 97/01443, the entire disclosure of which is hereby incorporated in the present application by way of enabling disclosure. Thus the transportation unit or box for the chicks, in an embodiment of the invention, comprises a closed loop wall unit having a quick-disengage fastening means enabling rapid removal of the wall unit, and each of the four end-to-end wall elements of the wall unit having its own inwardly-projecting support means at the same position to provide a level support for a floor unit which is lodged within the wall unit and fits snugly therein, and has upstanding divider means defining compartments for the reception of the chicks. Likewise in the embodiment, cover means for the chick compartments is provided in the form of a pair of flaps forming extensions of the compartment-defining unit and having interlocking elements allowing the cover means to be conveniently and quickly closed and opened according to need. Aspects of the embodiments of the invention include firstly the provision of a transport or storage unit or box for chicks or the like having walls which are removable in whole or in part to allow contained chicks to exit. Secondly the embodiments of the invention provide a method of transporting or containing chicks and the like in which the chicks exit from a container after removal of one or more walls or wall portions without the need to lift or invert the container. Thirdly the invention provides a container or box or the like unit in which the base wall is located and supported in its in-use condition on internal supports provided at the internal faces of the walls, and the base can be released by disengaging the external walls from the base whereby livestock supported on the base can then move away from the container. Fourthly the embodiments of the invention provide compartment -defining divider means for a container in which a flat-packable assembly has integrally- formed compartmentalising foldable walls which inter-engage and co-operate with the main external walls of the box unit and which have integrally-formed end flaps which co-operate to provide closing lids or flaps.

Materials from which the storage and transport units of the invention may be made include cardboard and other board materials and suitable alternative materials such as polymeric materials and other sheet materials having sufficient stiffness to be able to co-operate adequately with adjacent structures in order to provide the structural integrity needed for the purpose.

In another embodiment of the invention there is provided a unit or container for the storage or transportation of livestock such as chicks which has significant advantages over previously available boxes for the storage of livestock. These advantages include the provision of a storage unit or container in which, whether compartmentalised or not, the livestock therein can be allowed to exit by their own means and without the necessity for any action on the part of the supervisor or user, merely by removing the confining outer wall and leaving the base wall on which the livestock is supported, in place, although in the embodiment it may be allowed to descend a few centimetres upon release of the side walls. Thus, the chicks or other livestock can be released by a simple release movement by the operative and the removal of the confining outer wall whereby no hurt or damage is caused to the livestock and the base wall and its associated internal compartment -defining walls can be removed at any time.

A further advantage of the described and illustrated embodiments lies in their simplicity of structure. As will already be apparent, the sidewalls are constructed as a one or more piece unit with means for joining the ends to form an encircling (generally rectangular) side wall structure for the base of the unit .

As regards the base of the unit, this may likewise be formed as a one piece structure based on a simple mainly rectangular blank in which, for example, compartmentalising internal walls are formed by upward folds (retained by for example staple means or the like) , and which may also (in the same one-piece structure) provide lid means for the unit or container by means of end flaps and associated end walls (duplicating the unit or container side walls at those two locations) , and which may be provided with suitable means such as cooperating slot formations enabling the lid means to be conveniently lodged in cooperating engagement, thereby closing the unit or container in a sufficiently secure manner.

In the embodiments the means for securely locating the base with respect to the side walls comprises fabricated support elements fastened to the side walls and projecting inwards therefrom. In the embodiment this structure is provided by means of a simple folded board element extending lengthwise of the sidewalls and secured by adhesive or staples. Instead of a continuous structure, spaced support elements could be provided in any convenient format. Indeed, it might well be possible to provide punched elements in the side walls themselves which could be folded inwards to offer the necessary support function for the base.

It will be understood that the assembly operation for the described embodiments of the invention is extremely simple. All that is required is to join the ends of the side wall unit and then to place the compartmentalised base unit (and top flaps) in this, and the finished storage unit is ready for use .

All in all the embodiments provide a storage or transportation unit for livestock such as chicks which maintain standards of accommodation in terms of the unit itself while offering greatly improved facilities for disembarkation, and with a simplicity and cost-effectiveness of construction which arises from, inter alia, construction from three (or even two) areas of board or the like and notable simplicity of assembly.

Embodiments of the invention will now be described as an example only and with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which: -

Figure 1 shows a diagrammatic cross -sectional view of an apparatus for storage/ transport of animals according to a first embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 shows a diagrammatic plan view of the apparatus of Fig. 1 ;

Figure 3 shows a diagrammatic cross-sectional view of an apparatus for storage/ transport of animals according to another embodiment of the invention;

Figure 4 shows a diagrammatic plan view of a wall part for the apparatus of Fig. 3 ;

Figure 5 shows a diagrammatic plan view of a support part for the apparatus of Fig. 3; Figure 6 shows a diagrammatic plan view of a base part for the apparatus of Fig. 3;

Figure 7 shows diagrammatic plan views of a wall part and a support of an apparatus according to another embodiment of the invention, and;

Figure 8 shows a diagrammatic plan view of a base part for the apparatus of Fig. 7.

Figs . 1 and 2 of the drawings show an apparatus for storage/ transport of livestock, more particularly chicks, comprising a storage/ transport unit 10. The unit 10 comprises walls 12 and a base 14. The base 14 is supported by support means 16. The walls 12 are constructed from a single piece of sheet material in the form of cardboard which is folded to form corners of the unit, the ends of which are interconnected by means of a fastening means 18. The fastening means 18 are of a quick release type to enable easy removal of the walls 12. The base 14 is divided into compartments 22 by means of the divider 24.

The apparatus of Figs . 1 and 2 can be loaded with chicks in compartments 22. After storage or transport of the apparatus the chicks can be conveniently released from the base 14 by disengaging the walls to allow the livestock to exit from their compartments 22 in the directions 20 as shown in Fig . 2. The storage/ transport unit 30 of Fig. 3 comprises walls 32 and a base 34. The base 34 comprises dividing means 38 for dividing the unit 30 into separate compartments 40 and a support surface 35 for supporting the livestock inside their compartments 40. The base 34 further comprises a cover member 36 in the form of a lid for preventing the livestock from escaping from their compartments 40 during transport and storage of the apparatus. The support surface 35 and the cover member 36 are interconnected by the side wall 37. The cover member 36, the side wall 37, the dividing means 38 and the support surface 35 are all integrally formed. The apparatus of Fig. 3 can be assembled from the parts 50,60,70 shown in Figs. 4 to 6 to form the walls 32, the base 34 and the support means 39. Each part is cut and folded from a single piece of sheet material in the form of cardboard. Preferably the parts 50,60,70 consist of corrugated cardboard.

Fig. 4 shows the wall part 50. This part comprises a linear strip of sheet material 52 which can be folded along the folds 54 to form the corners of the apparatus . The end portions are interconnectable by means of a quick attach/detach fastening means (not shown) which can be inserted through corresponding openings 56 to form a continuous closed loop.

The support part of Fig. 5 comprises a strip of sheet board material 62 which can be folded along folds 64 to form the support means 39. The support part 60 is then glued onto the wall part 50 at a suitable distance from the bottom of the wall part 50 to support the base 34.

The base part 70 of Fig. 6 consists of a single strip of sheet material 72 from which two portions 74 extend. The portions 74 are cut along opposite sides 76 and can be folded along horizontal folds 78 to form dividers 82 and 84 and support surfaces 35 of the base 34. The base part 70 is further foldable along the vertical folds 80 to form the divider 38, the cover members 36 and the side walls 37. When folded the dividers 38,82,84 comprise abutting inwards facing ends. These abutting ends can be glued or stapled onto one another.

The cover members 36 comprise locking members 86. These members 86 are interconnectable so that the apparatus can be sealed when the cover members 36 are closed. The locking members 86 each comprise a cut or slit which is provided on each cover member 36. The respective slits are engageable with one another. The apparatus of Figs. 3 is assembled from the blanks of Figs. 4 to 6 as follows. Starting with the wall part 50 of Fig. 4, the corners of the apparatus are formed by folding along the lines 54 indicated in the drawing and the ends of the wall part 50 are interconnected by means of a suitable disengageable fastening means (not shown) which is provided in the corresponding openings 56. The support part 60 is folded along the folding lines 62 to form the support means as shaped and shown in Fig. 3. The support part 50 thus folded has an approximate triangular cross-sectional shape. The support part 60 is then glued onto the wall part 50 at a suitable distance from the base of the wall part 50. Finally the base part 70 is formed from the single sheeted material by folding along the folding lines 80 to form the support surface 35, side walls 37, cover members 36 and dividers 38. The dividers 38 consist of two abutting surfaces . These surfaces can be fixed together by gluing or stapling, although this is not strictly necessary. Obviously, if the surfaces are not interconnected this enables the base part 50 to be unfolded completely and returned to its original planar state. After assembling the individual parts 50,60,70 the base 70 can be removably mounted inside the wall part 50 and the apparatus is ready for use.

The apparatus of Fig. 3 can then be loaded with livestock such as chicks by opening the lids and filling each compartment with a suitable number of chicks. After the lids are closed and locked by folding the locking members 86, the apparatus can be readily transported to a suitable location for releasing the animals. The apparatus is placed on the ground and the fastening means 18 are released thereby removing the wall 12 from the unit. This allows the chicks to exit their compartments. After disposal of the chicks, the apparatus is ready for storage and re-use or can be destroyed. When stored, the apparatus can be returned to its original plan state as presented in Figs. 4 and 6 to save storage space .

An alternative storage/ transport unit can be assembled from the parts 100, 110, 120 shown in Figs. 7 and 8 to form the walls, the support means and the base of the unit. Each part 100, 110, 120 is cut and folded from a single piece of sheet board material in the form of cardboard. Preferably the parts 100,110,120 comprises of corrugated cardboard.

Fig. 7 shows wall part 100 and a support means 110. The walls are formed by two identical wall parts 100, each part consisting of a linear strip of sheet material which can be folded along the fold 102 to form corners of the apparatus. The end portions of the wall parts are interconnectable by means of a tongue 104 on one wall part which can engage with a slot 106 of a second wall part to form the walls as a continuous closed loop. The two side wall portions of the wall part 100 on either side of the fold 102 are at a slight inclination relative to one another when the wall part is viewed in the plan view of Fig. 7. In this way it is achieved that the side walls 105 taper slightly inwards and upwards, when the walls are assembled. This has the advantage that the base cannot be removed from the apparatus by lifting the base upwardly away from the walls. The base can only be removed from the walls by disengaging at least one tongue 104 and slot 106 connection to release the walls. A support part 110 similar to the part 60 as hereinbefore described can be folded along folds 112 to form the support means. The support part 110 is glued onto the wall part 100 at the position indicated by the dotted lines 109 at a suitable distance from the bottom of the wall part 100. The support part 110 has a slot 114 which complements the slot 106 when the support part 110 is attached to the wall part 100.

The wall part comprises openings 107 which, form air vents for the livestock. Further air vent openings 108 are provided near the bottom of the wall part 100. These openings 108 correspond with the openings 116 of the support part 110 and allow air to pass through the walls and the support means .

The base part 120 of Fig. 8 again consists of a single strip of sheeted material 122 from which two divider portions 124 extend. The portions 124 are cut along opposite sides 126 and can be folded along horizontal folds 128 to form dividers 130 and 132 and support surfaces 134 of the base. The dividers 130, 132 comprise tongues 138 which can engage with slots 139 when the dividers 130, 132 are folded. This obviates the need for gluing the abutting insides of the dividers 130, 132 together. The support surfaces 134 comprise foldable extensions 136 to cover any gaps between the support means and the base when the base part 120 is in place. Similar to the base part 70, the base part 120 is foldable along the vertical folds 140 to form the divider 129, the cover members 142 and the side walls 144. Similar to the support parts 110 and the wall parts 100, the base part 120 comprises air vent openings 146 in the dividers 130, 132, 129, the side walls 144 and the cover members 142.

The cover members 142 again comprise interconnecting locking members 148 for sealing the cover members 142 when closed. The locking members 148 can comprise a cut or slit which is provided on each cover member 142. Alternatively the locking members 148 can consist of a tongue and groove arrangement .

The storage/ transport apparatus can be assembled from the blanks of Figs. 7 and 8 in a similar way to the assembly of the apparatus of Fig. 3. The two support parts 110 are each glued onto a wall part 100. The wall is assembled from two wall parts 100 which are interconnected by the tongue 104 and groove 106 arrangement. Finally the base is assembled in a similar way as hereinbefore described from the base part 120 whereby there is no need for gluing together the abutting insides of the dividers 129,130,132. After assembly the apparatus is ready for use. After use the apparatus can be easily disassembled and returned to the original planar state.

Claims

1. Method of constructing a unit for storage and/or transport of livestock comprising :- a) providing parts of said unit comprising a base to support said livestock and walls to confine said livestock; b) said base comprising internal divider means defining compartments, said base being adapted to be supported by said walls and said walls being adapted to co-operate with said base to confine said livestock, and said walls being adapted to be released completely or in part from said base by means of one or more disengageable fastening means which permit said walls to be interconnectable in end to end fashion around said base so as to form said confining walls; c) said method further comprising the step of assembling said base within and supported by said walls with the latter interconnected end to end so as to define livestock confinement compartments adapted to receive livestock for storage and/ or transport and from which said livestock can be released by disengaging said fastening means and completely or in part removing said walls so that said livestock is relatively unconfined by said walls and can exit laterally from said compartments.

2. Method of constructing a unit for storage and/or transport of livestock comprising :- a) providing parts of said unit comprising a base to support said livestock and walls to confine said livestock; b) said walls being adapted to be released completely or in part from said base; c) said method comprising assembling said base within and supported by said walls with the lattter interconnected so as to define livestock confinement space adapted to receive livestock for storage and/ or transport and from which said livestock can be released by completely or in part removing said walls so that said livestock is relatively unconfined by said walls and can exit from said base .

3. Method according to claim 1 or 2 , wherein said base comprises cover means adapted to be folded into ^• a covering position over said base and said method comprises causing said cover means to cover said base to confine said livestock.

4. Method according to any one of the preceding claims wherein said walls are formed by one or more one- piece elements and said method comprises the step of interconnecting the ends of said elements to form a closed structure and causing same to receive and support said base.

5. Method according to any of the preceding claims, wherein said method comprises the step of providing said base as a one-piece element and cutting and folding said one-piece element to form said base.

6. Apparatus for storage/ transport of livestock comprising a storage/ transport unit comprising a base to support said livestock and walls to confine said livestock, said base comprising internal divider means defining compartments, said base being adapted to be supported by said walls and said walls being adapted to co-operate with said base to confine said livestock, and said walls being adapted to be released completely or in part from said base by means of one or more disengageable fastening means which permit said walls to be interconnectable in end to end fashion around said base so as to form said confining walls, whereby said livestock can be released by disengaging one or more fastening means and completely or in part removing said walls so that said livestock is relatively unconfined by said walls and can exit laterally from said compartments.

7. Apparatus for storage/ transport of livestock comprising a storage/ transport unit comprising walls and a base, the walls being constructed and arranged so as to be at least in part removable from said base, so that the livestock animals contained inside said unit can be caused or allowed to exit from the unit.

8. Apparatus according to claim 7, wherein said base comprises divider means for dividing said unit into two or more sub-units.

9. Apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 8 , wherein one or more of said walls taper inwardly and upwardly in use.

10. Apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 8 , wherein the walls are formed by one or more one-piece elements of linear sheet material adapted to be folded to form one or more corners of the unit .

11. Apparatus according to claim 10, wherein said wall elements comprise one or more disengageable fastening means adapted to join the adjacent ends of said elements to form an endless encircling loop.

12. Apparatus according to claim 6 or 11, wherein the fastening means comprise quick disengage means for enabling rapid removal of the walls.

13. Apparatus according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the fastening means comprise a first engagement member in the form of a tongue provided at one end of the element and a second engagement member in the form of a slot corresponding with said tongue provided at the other end of said element .

14. Apparatus according to any of claims 6 to 13, wherein the walls comprise support means for supporting the base .

15. Apparatus according to any of claims 6 to 14, wherein the unit comprises cover means adapted to be folded into a covering position over said unit to cover said unit.

16. Apparatus according to claim 15, wherein the cover means are provided with interlocking elements for interlocking the cover means in a covering position.

17. Apparatus according to any of claims 6 to 16, wherein the base comprises a single length of linear sheet material adapted to be cut and folded to form a support surface for supporting the livestock, said sheet material further being adapted to be cut and folded to form divider means for dividing said unit into two or more sub-units or compartments .

18. Apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the linear sheet material of said base comprises two divider and support portions, each such portion being adapted to form divider means and support surfaces, and each such portion being formed in said sheet material, the sheet material further comprising further divider means, said further divider means being disposed between said first divider means .

19. Apparatus according to claim 17 or 18, wherein the first divider means engage with the further divider means to hold the divider means in place.

20. Apparatus according to claim 17 to 19, wherein the single length of linear sheet material of said base comprises means for forming cover members for covering the unit.

21. Apparatus according to claim 20, wherein said cover members comprise interlocking elements for interlocking said cover members into a covering position.

22. Apparatus according to any of claims 15 to 21, wherein the single length of linear sheet material of said base comprises means for forming side walls for interconnecting said cover means and said support surfaces.

23. Apparatus according to any of claims 6 to 22, wherein the apparatus comprises two parts each comprising a single length linear sheet material adapted to be folded and cut to form the base and the walls.

24. Apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 23, wherein the apparatus comprises one or more ventilation openings .

25. Apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 24, wherein the apparatus comprises means for stacking multiple units of said apparatus

26. Apparatus for storage/ transport of livestock comprising walls being removable in whole or in part, so that livestock contained inside said apparatus can be caused or allowed to exit from the apparatus.

27. A blank for constructing a storage/ transport unit for livestock comprising a one-piece element of sheet material for forming a support surface for supporting livestock and said sheet material providing divider means for dividing said unit into two or more sub-units or compartments .

28. A blank according to claim 27, wherein said one- piece element of sheet material comprises two portions for forming divider means and support surfaces, each such portion being formed in said sheet material, and the sheet material further comprising further divider means, between said portions.

29. A blank according to claim 27 or 28, wherein said one-piece element of sheet material comprises cover means adapted to be folded into a covering position over said unit to cover said unit .

30. A blank according to claim 29, wherein the cover means comprises interlocking elements for interlocking the cover means into a covering position.

31. A blank adapted for assembly with a blank according to any of claims 27 to 30, and comprising a one- piece element of linear sheet material for forming at least part of the walls to surround said support surface.

32. One or more blanks of board or like sheet material suitable for constructing apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 26.

33. Method of transporting/ storing livestock comprising employing apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 28.

34. Method for transporting/ storing livestock comprising employing apparatus wherein the livestock can be caused or allowed to exit from the apparatus after removal of one or more wall portions without lifting and/or inverting the apparatus.

35. A compartment defining divider means for use in the storage/ transport of livestock comprising a base as defined in any one of claims 6 to 28.