Long-distance livestock transport is among the most welfare-compromising events in farm animal lives, with rest, feed, and water provisions during transport being critical welfare variables.
Livestock transport welfare represents a systemic challenge where short-term economic incentives consistently outweigh animal welfare considerations. Animals transported long distances experience multiple compounding stressors — unfamiliar conspecifics, motion sickness, temperature extremes, noise, dehydration, and physical exhaustion — over prolonged periods with limited opportunity for rest or recovery. Regulatory frameworks that apply robust welfare protections only within certain jurisdictions create incentives to route journeys through unprotected areas. The most welfare-positive approaches include maximum journey time limits, mandatory lairage with food and water at regular intervals, and shift toward transporting slaughtered product rather than live animals over long distances.