Long-distance animal transport requires veterinary fitness-to-travel certificates, but inspection gaps mean that animals not fit to travel are sometimes loaded and transported.
Transport fitness assessment is a critical welfare gateway: animals that should not be transported are identified before loading and are prevented from beginning journeys they may not survive or that would cause severe suffering. In practice, fitness assessment quality varies with the training and diligence of those performing checks. Animals with subclinical lameness, early-stage illness, or stress-related conditions may pass visual inspection but deteriorate during transport. Strengthening pre-transport veterinary assessment, improving journey monitoring systems, and reducing maximum journey times all improve welfare outcomes at the transport stage of production.