Farm Animal Welfare

Livestock Transport: Reducing Journey Length and Stress

Long-distance livestock transport is a major welfare concern with millions of animals transported across borders annually, often for fattening or slaughter in distant facilities.

Key Facts

The EU permits transport journeys of up to 8 hours for most livestock (24 hours with water breaks for some species)
Long journeys cause exhaustion, dehydration, injury, disease transmission and deaths
Post-Brexit, the UK can set its own transport limits and is consulting on improvements
Slaughter at or near origin and transport of carcasses rather than live animals reduces welfare harms
Research shows injury and mortality rates increase with journey length

Welfare Considerations

Long-distance livestock transport concentrates welfare risk at multiple points: loading, transit conditions, unloading and lairage. Animals that are injured, sick or close to parturition are particularly vulnerable. Reducing journey length by processing animals closer to production, improving vehicle design and increasing inspection frequency are the highest-impact interventions.

What You Can Do

Support campaigns for reduced maximum journey times in livestock transport regulation
Choose meat from locally produced and slaughtered animals where possible
Advocate for UK improvement of post-Brexit livestock transport standards
Learn about the CIWF campaign to end long-distance live animal transport