Farm Animal Welfare

Slaughter Distance and Livestock Welfare

The distance animals travel to slaughter significantly affects welfare, with longer journeys causing greater cumulative stress and injury risk.

Key Facts

Journey times for UK livestock to slaughter average over 3 hours and often exceed 8 hours
Local and mobile abattoirs reduce transport stress but have faced economic challenges
Farm-assured local slaughter reduces journey times and associated welfare harms
Loss of local abattoir capacity has forced longer journeys for many livestock
Community-supported agriculture models often use local slaughter preserving welfare benefits

Welfare Considerations

Transport distance to slaughter is a significant welfare variable that is easy to conceptualize and measure but difficult to change without infrastructure investment. The closure of local abattoirs has forced longer journeys for millions of animals. Supporting local food systems and local abattoir capacity creates shorter, lower-welfare-impact supply chains. Policy incentives for local processing infrastructure would deliver meaningful welfare improvement.

What You Can Do

Choose locally sourced meat from short supply chains where slaughter is nearby
Support campaigns for local abattoir capacity to be maintained and expanded
Advocate for policy incentives for local processing infrastructure
Visit local farms to understand and appreciate shorter supply chains