Poultry Transport Welfare Standards

Poultry transport is a significant welfare challenge causing injuries, mortality, and thermal stress, and improvements in vehicle design, journey times, and handling are reducing the welfare burden.

Key Facts

Transport mortality in broiler chickens averages 0.1-0.3% in Europe but can reach 1%+ in poor conditions
Catching and crating are the highest-risk periods for injury - mechanical catching machines reduce injuries when properly used
Thermal regulation in transport vehicles is critical - heat stress in summer and cold exposure in winter cause significant mortality
EU regulations require maximum journey times and rest periods, water provision, and vehicle temperature management
Pre-slaughter feed withdrawal duration is a welfare and product quality trade-off requiring careful management

Welfare Considerations

Poultry transport compresses multiple welfare insults into a short period: capture stress, physical handling, crating in unfamiliar social groups, temperature extremes, vibration, and noise. Each element is manageable, but their cumulative effect on already fast-growing, cardiovascularly compromised broilers produces measurable suffering. The highest-welfare approach minimizes journey times, uses low-stress catching, and provides appropriate thermal management throughout transport.

What You Can Do

Choose chicken from local producers with shorter transport distances where possible
Support welfare standards that require mechanical catching and temperature-controlled vehicles
Advocate for reduced journey time limits for poultry transport in national regulations
Support industry investment in improved crating systems that reduce stacking injuries
Ask retailers whether transport welfare is included in their supplier welfare requirements