Livestock

Long-Distance Livestock Transport: Welfare During Journeys

Long-distance transport causes significant welfare harms to livestock including dehydration, exhaustion, injury, and disease.

Key Facts

EU regulations allow cattle to be transported for up to 29 hours without rest
Live exports from the UK have been restricted following welfare concerns
Journeys of over 8 hours significantly increase mortality and disease risk
Mixing unfamiliar animals during loading causes fighting and injury
High-density loading prevents animals from lying down during long journeys

Welfare Considerations

Transport stress involves multiple simultaneous stressors: social disruption, novel environments, motion, food and water deprivation, thermal extremes, and restraint. Cattle deprived of water for 24 hours show severe dehydration. Mixing groups causes aggression and injuries. Pneumonia after transport is extremely common due to immunosuppression. Short journey times, proper lairage, and carcass meat trade over live animals significantly reduce welfare harms.

What You Can Do

Support campaigns to end live exports and switch to carcass trade
Advocate for maximum 8-hour journey limits for livestock
Buy meat produced and slaughtered locally
Support electronic monitoring systems to enforce transport regulations
Engage with the European Food Safety Authority (EFSA) livestock transport standards