New technologies including electronic monitoring, GPS tracking, and sensor systems are being developed to improve welfare oversight during livestock transport, one of the highest-risk periods for farm animal welfare.
Livestock transport causes acute welfare problems through stress, crowding, extreme temperatures, exhaustion, and injury. Despite regulations, enforcement is difficult and violations common, particularly in long-distance international transport. Technology offers potential to improve monitoring and enforcement by making journey conditions transparent and automatically flagging welfare violations. Electronic monitoring systems that alert drivers and authorities to dangerous temperature or CO2 levels could prevent significant preventable welfare harm during transport.