Despite international regulations requiring journey documentation for livestock transport, evidence of systematic welfare monitoring during transport remains limited and enforcement is inconsistent.
Transport documentation exists to create accountability and identify problems, but in practice, journey logs are often completed retrospectively or inaccurately, and analysis to identify welfare-relevant patterns is rarely performed. The gap between regulatory intent and operational reality means that high mortality routes, problematic operators, and welfare-compromising conditions persist undetected. Meaningful improvement requires investment in real-time monitoring systems, independent audit of journey log data, and consequences for operators with poor welfare records. Technology solutions including temperature sensors and GPS tracking are available and increasingly affordable; mandating their use and analysing the resulting data would substantially improve transport welfare.