The live export of farm animals for slaughter or fattening involves some of the worst welfare conditions in the livestock industry, with journeys of 24-100+ hours causing heat stress, injury, and death in transported animals.
Live export causes welfare suffering throughout the journey. Loading involves stress, unfamiliar handling, and separation from established social groups. Transport involves restricted movement, variable temperature, noise, vibration, and deprivation of food and water beyond legal thresholds in many documented cases. Unloading at destination countries, where animal welfare standards may be lower than at origin, can involve rough handling and inadequate stunning before slaughter. The cumulative stress of long journeys causes immune suppression, dehydration, and behavioural indicators of severe negative welfare states.