Poultry transport to slaughter is a concentrated welfare stress point involving catching by hand, loading into crates, and transport under conditions that cause significant physiological stress. Evidence-based improvements are available but inconsistently implemented.
Poultry catching and transport represents a concentrated welfare stress event at the end of an already welfare-challenged life. The catching process — grabbing birds by legs and inverting them — causes acute pain and fear responses in birds that have had little previous human contact, and results in wing and leg injuries in a proportion of birds depending on catcher technique and speed. Transport crates that are inadequately ventilated or exposed to temperature extremes cause heat or cold stress that can be fatal. The duration of transport and holding times compound physiological stress through food and water withdrawal. Evidence-based welfare improvements — night-time catching, mechanical harvesters with trained operators, ventilated crates, and reduced holding times — are achievable but require both regulatory standards and consumer-driven supply chain pressure to implement consistently.