Access to adequate clean water is among the most fundamental welfare requirements for all farmed animals, yet water deprivation during transport, at market, and in some housing systems causes significant preventable welfare harm.
Water access welfare is among the most basic and non-negotiable of welfare requirements, yet water deprivation occurs preventably during transport, at markets, and in housing system failures. The welfare harm of dehydration is acute: animals experience increasing physiological distress that compounds transport stress and makes subsequent handling more difficult. Water access at every stage of the supply chain — at farms, in transport vehicles, at markets, and in lairage before slaughter — is achievable with modest infrastructure investment and represents a baseline welfare requirement that certification programs and regulations appropriately treat as non-negotiable. Monitoring compliance with water access requirements is among the most important welfare audit functions.