How cattle spend their final months before slaughter profoundly affects their welfare. Comparing feedlot and pasture finishing systems reveals important trade-offs and welfare implications.
Feedlot welfare challenges are multiple and interacting. High stocking density limits movement and competitive ability for subordinate animals. Growth-promoting beta-agonists cause musculoskeletal stress that impairs mobility in the final weeks of life - the period when animals are heaviest and most vulnerable. Heat stress in summer feedlots causes acute distress, reduced feed intake and mortality. Mud accumulation during wet weather causes discomfort and skin disease. Pasture-finished systems avoid most of these specific problems but are not inherently high welfare - stocking density, parasite burden and management practices vary widely. The welfare comparison between systems depends heavily on specific management practices rather than the system label alone.