Poultry Transport to Slaughter Welfare

Transporting poultry to slaughter involves acute welfare challenges that cause significant mortality and suffering.

Key Facts

Approximately 0.5-1% of broilers die during transport to slaughter from heat stress and trauma
Catching and crating is one of the most stressful events in a chickens life
Thermal regulation during transport requires careful monitoring of temperature and ventilation
Birds travel in stacked crates with limited air movement causing CO2 accumulation
Mechanical catching is less stressful than manual catching when properly operated

Welfare Considerations

The catching, crating, loading, transport, and unloading process before slaughter causes acute welfare harm to poultry. Manual catching involves handlers grabbing birds by one or both legs and carrying multiple birds simultaneously — a process causing bruising, dislocation, and extreme fear. The loaded transport vehicles risk heat stress in summer and cold stress in winter. Each stage from farm to lairage is a welfare event. Improvements including lower stocking density in crates, mechanical catching, and thermal monitoring of vehicles can reduce but not eliminate pre-slaughter welfare harms.

What You Can Do

Support welfare standards requiring mechanical catching and maximum crate densities
Advocate for monitoring requirements during transport including temperature logging
Choose poultry from producers with documented catching and transport welfare protocols
Learn about the research on pre-slaughter welfare in poultry
Support enforcement of transport welfare regulations across the poultry supply chain