Millions of livestock animals die during transport annually from injury, heat stress, and exhaustion. Evidence-based standards and shorter journey times are key to reducing this preventable suffering.
Transport is one of the highest-risk welfare events in the life of a farm animal. Loading, vehicle movement, novel environments, mixing with unfamiliar animals, temperature extremes, and prolonged standing without access to water and food all cause acute stress and physical suffering. Mortality figures underestimate the welfare impact: for every animal that dies in transit, many more arrive injured, bruised, or severely stressed. The strongest evidence-based intervention is journey time reduction: shorter journeys fundamentally reduce exposure to all transport stressors. Local slaughter infrastructure would eliminate long-distance live animal transport but requires investment and policy support. Live animal export by ship over intercontinental distances represents the most severe transport welfare problem, with animals confined for weeks in tropical conditions.