Feedlots confine cattle in dense pens for rapid weight gain before slaughter, and welfare problems including respiratory disease, lameness, and stress are endemic to this production system.
Feedlot beef production concentrates welfare problems that are partly inherent to the system and partly addressable through management. The high-grain diet required for rapid growth promotes liver abscesses and metabolic acidosis; the confined pens without shelter expose cattle to weather extremes; the high stocking density facilitates disease transmission. Respiratory disease alone affects a substantial proportion of feedlot cattle and causes significant suffering before detection and treatment. Progressive feedlot operators have implemented welfare improvements including covered hospital areas, shade provision, proactive health monitoring, and pain management protocols that reduce individual suffering within the system constraints. Consumer demand for higher-welfare beef and retailer sourcing standards are creating market incentives for welfare investment in this sector.