Long-distance transport of live cattle causes significant stress, injury and sometimes death, making it one of the most contested areas of farm animal welfare policy.
Cattle are highly sensitive to novel environments, loading, and the presence of unfamiliar conspecifics. Long transport journeys cause exhaustion, thirst, injury, and temperature extremes. Animals arriving at destination abattoirs may face procedures not permitted under EU law. The welfare cost of live export for slaughter is disproportionate to any economic justification given the feasibility of chilled meat trade.