Transport of poultry for slaughter involves significant welfare risks including thermal stress, physical injury, and deprivation of water during journeys that require careful management to minimize suffering.
Poultry transport involves a cascade of welfare stressors beginning with catching which is highly aversive, through loading into crates where birds cannot move adequately, transport with exposure to thermal stress and CO2 accumulation, and holding at the slaughterhouse without water. Each stage compounds the welfare impact of previous stressors. The scale of poultry transport involving billions of birds annually means even modest welfare improvements per bird translate to enormous aggregate impact. Improved catching techniques, better crate design, journey time limits, and improved livebird holding conditions all offer meaningful welfare improvements at achievable cost.