Transport is one of the most stressful and potentially painful experiences for farm animals. Evidence-based pain management and transport practices significantly reduce suffering.
Transport subjects farm animals to acute stress including fear, disorientation, thermoregulatory challenge, physical jostling, and social disruption. Animals that arrive at slaughter already in a stressed state experience prolonged fear and physiological distress. Injuries during loading and unloading cause pain that may go unmanaged. Downed animals - those that collapse and cannot rise - may lie in their own waste for extended periods before or during transport. Heat stress during summer transport causes suffering and death that is largely preventable through better scheduling and vehicle design. The welfare improvements available through better transport practices are substantial: pre-loading handling training, appropriate stocking density, journey time limits, and temperature management together represent major reductions in suffering.