Long-distance farm animal transport is associated with severe welfare costs including dehydration, exhaustion, injury, and disease, making journey time limits a critical welfare protection.
Long-distance farm animal transport is one of the most legally permitted yet welfare-damaging practices in global food production. Animals experiencing many hours of transport suffer dehydration, exhaustion, fear, motion sickness, and risk of injury in a sustained, unavoidable way. Current EU and international regulations permit journey durations that substantially exceed what welfare evidence suggests is acceptable. The push for shorter maximum journey times — ideally under 8 hours — and investment in local slaughter capacity that reduces transport need entirely represent the most effective welfare interventions. Consumer choices that support locally slaughtered, short-journey products and advocacy for stronger transport regulations at national and EU level are the most direct routes to improvement.