The transport of livestock causes significant welfare harm. Distance, duration, conditions, and handling practices all determine the scale of suffering experienced by millions of transported animals.
Livestock transport is one of the most visible and documented sources of animal suffering in the food system. The combination of crowding, unfamiliar environments, noise, temperature extremes, hunger, and exhaustion creates significant acute welfare impacts during transport. Long-distance live export — animals transported by ship across oceans for slaughter — represents an extreme welfare failure: mortality rates, heat events, and disease during long sea voyages are regular occurrences documented by welfare investigators. The most straightforward welfare solution is slaughter at source: processing animals locally and exporting meat products eliminates transport welfare entirely. This solution also has economic arguments in its favor, but faces political resistance from receiving countries that import live animals for slaughter.