Farm Animal Welfare

Cattle Welfare and Long Distance Transport

Long distance transport of live cattle causes significant welfare harm through fatigue, dehydration, injury, and thermal stress.

Key Facts

EU regulations limit transport to 8 hours for unweaned calves and 29 hours with rest for others
Journey times exceeding 8 hours are associated with significantly increased welfare indicator deterioration
Dehydration, thermal stress, and rough handling at loading and unloading cause most transport welfare harm
Slaughter near the point of production eliminates long transport of live animals
Export of live cattle from UK for slaughter remains controversial for welfare reasons

Welfare Considerations

Long distance transport imposes significant welfare costs on cattle that can be largely avoided by slaughtering closer to the point of production. Until transport is eliminated, strict journey time limits, resting, watering, and temperature management are minimum welfare requirements.

What You Can Do

Support campaigns for slaughter closer to production and against live export
Choose beef from local producers to reduce transport requirements
Advocate for strict enforcement of transport welfare regulations