The method used to finish beef cattle before slaughter has significant welfare implications, with feedlot systems presenting distinct welfare challenges compared to pasture-based finishing.
Cattle newly arrived in feedlots are stressed from transport, mixing with unfamiliar animals, and radical diet change from forage to high-concentrate rations. Bovine respiratory disease in newly arrived cattle causes acute pneumonia causing high fever, difficulty breathing, and prolonged suffering without treatment. High-grain diets cause acidosis risk and rumen dysfunction. Feedlot cattle denied pasture access cannot express natural grazing, foraging, and ranging behaviours. Despite these concerns, well-managed feedlots with prompt disease treatment can provide acceptable welfare; mismanaged operations present serious welfare failures.