Livestock transport is one of the highest-risk welfare stages in food animal production. Effective audit systems and enforcement mechanisms are essential for translating regulations into real welfare outcomes.
The gap between livestock transport regulations and real-world compliance is one of the most persistent problems in farm animal welfare. Paper-based audit systems are easily manipulated and rarely capture acute welfare events during transit. Technology offers solutions: GPS tracking, temperature sensors, and automated journey logging can create verifiable compliance records. However, technology adoption has been slow due to cost and political resistance. Civil society organizations monitoring ports and transport corridors have exposed systematic violations that official systems missed. Shortening maximum journey times and expanding mandatory rest stop requirements represent the most impactful regulatory improvements available.