Transporting livestock long distances causes significant stress, injury, and death. Regulatory reform and industry practice improvements can substantially reduce this suffering.
Live animal transport causes a cascade of welfare harms: loading stress, motion sickness, dehydration, temperature extremes, social disruption, and exhaustion. Long international journeys are particularly problematic, with animals confined for days in changing climate conditions. Reform priorities include banning the transport of unfit animals, reducing maximum journey times, improving vehicle standards, and shifting from live export to chilled meat trade. Each reform directly reduces measurable suffering.