The international trade in live horses for slaughter and breeding involves long-distance transport that causes significant welfare impacts, with particularly poor conditions on sea voyages.
Horse transport welfare is compromised by the fundamental challenge of moving large prey animals with high stress physiology in unfamiliar enclosed spaces. Long-distance transport for slaughter from Ireland to Italy or from Poland crosses multiple countries and sometimes sea channels. Sea transport on large ferries intended primarily for vehicles rather than horses creates particularly poor conditions with limited ventilation and space. Horses that go down during transport risk being trampled. The Council of Europe Convention for the Protection of Animals during International Transport sets minimum standards that are inconsistently enforced. Some routes involve poor enforcement of animal welfare regulations. The welfare solution is replacing live horse transport with trade in chilled or frozen horse meat.