On-farm and mobile slaughter units allow animals to be killed on the farm where they are raised, eliminating the welfare cost of live transport to abattoirs.
Transport to slaughter is consistently identified as one of the highest-risk welfare events in a farm animal's life. Animals experience unfamiliarity, mixing with unknown conspecifics, handling, loading, the journey itself, and then the abattoir environment — all within a compressed and stressful period. On-farm slaughter eliminates these stressors by killing animals in the environment where they have lived, often with stockpeople they recognise. Mobile slaughter units extend this benefit by bringing certified slaughter capacity to farms that lack fixed facilities. The barrier is primarily regulatory and economic: licensing requirements, inspection logistics, and capital cost all create obstacles. Policy frameworks that actively support on-farm and mobile slaughter as a welfare intervention are increasingly advocated by animal welfare scientists.