Long-distance livestock transport causes cumulative welfare harm that rest requirements attempt to mitigate, though journey length reduction is the most effective intervention.
Long-distance livestock transport welfare involves stressors that accumulate over time: dehydration, hunger, fatigue, fear, and the physical effort of maintaining balance in a moving vehicle. Rest requirements provide recovery opportunities within inherently stressful journeys. However, the welfare benefit of rest stops depends critically on animals actually eating and drinking during rest. The fundamental welfare improvement is reducing transport duration through localizing slaughter infrastructure rather than managing long journeys more humanely.