Lairage management in the hours before slaughter has significant welfare implications, with mixing, noise, handling quality, and environment all affecting cattle welfare at end of life.
The pre-slaughter period is among the most welfare-significant in a cattle's life. Mixing strangers causes fighting; poor flooring causes slipping and injury; inadequate ventilation causes heat stress. The cumulative effect of poor lairage management is significant suffering in animals' final hours. Well-designed lairage with appropriate group composition, good surfaces, adequate space, and calm handling significantly reduces this suffering.