The transport of chickens and turkeys to slaughter is one of the highest-risk welfare events in poultry production, causing mortality, injury, and significant suffering annually.
Poultry transport is a welfare-critical but often invisible part of the meat production chain. The catching process before transport involves teams of workers moving birds rapidly in ways that regularly cause bone fractures. The loading density, temperature management, and journey duration then compound welfare risks. High mortality rates are treated as acceptable business losses rather than welfare indicators requiring intervention. Improving transport welfare requires better catching training, real-time monitoring technology, and shorter maximum journey times.