Livestock Mortality and Welfare Reporting

Mortality monitoring in livestock systems is an important welfare indicator, but inconsistent reporting requirements mean significant suffering goes undocumented across the industry.

Key Facts

US farms are not required to report livestock mortality beyond some state regulations
Mortality rates in intensive pig farming can reach 5-8% annually in some operations
Poultry mortality rates are tracked by major producers but rarely made public
High mortality is a welfare indicator correlated with disease, injury, and management failures
The EU requires farmers to investigate and address mortality above baseline rates
Mortality data, when available, correlates strongly with other welfare outcomes on farm

Welfare Considerations

Farms with high mortality rates have animals that are dying in pain from disease, injury, and management failures that cause suffering before death. Mortality represents only the most visible welfare failure — many more animals suffer from conditions that cause significant pain but do not kill them. The absence of mandatory mortality reporting means that systematic welfare failures can persist without regulatory scrutiny. When mortality data is analyzed alongside other welfare indicators, it becomes a powerful predictor of overall farm welfare standards.

What You Can Do

Advocate for mandatory mortality reporting requirements for all commercial livestock operations
Support public access to mortality data for farms receiving USDA inspection services
Donate to organizations working on transparency in livestock welfare data
Engage food companies about requiring mortality reporting from their suppliers
Support research correlating mortality rates with other welfare outcomes
Advocate for regulatory scrutiny triggered by above-baseline mortality rates on farms