Heat stress during livestock transport kills thousands of animals annually and causes suffering for millions more. Understanding the risks and preventions helps reduce this major and often-invisible welfare problem.
Heat stress in farm animal transport is a welfare crisis that recurs every summer with predictable regularity and preventable consequences. Animals that die in transport vehicles from heat do so after experiencing significant suffering — panting, cardiovascular stress, and eventual organ failure. Those that survive heat stress events carry lasting physiological damage. The solution requires investment in vehicle temperature management, schedule adjustments to avoid peak heat, and reduced journey durations. Market incentives that penalize transport-related mortality create economic alignment between welfare and producer interests that regulatory frameworks alone often fail to achieve.