Transport-related mortality in livestock represents a significant and largely preventable welfare failure. Understanding causes enables evidence-based interventions that reduce both mortality and pre-death suffering.
Transport mortality represents the most extreme welfare failure in livestock logistics — animals that die during transport experience pre-death suffering from whatever condition caused their death, whether heat stress, injury, exhaustion, or suffocation. The mortality rate statistics, while seemingly small proportionally, represent millions of animals experiencing fatal suffering during transport operations globally. Prevention through improved vehicle design, driver training, loading standards, and journey time management is achievable and demonstrably effective. Monitoring pen mortality rates provides incentive for transport welfare investment when tied to regulatory oversight and financial penalties.