The holding period before slaughter, known as lairage, is a critical welfare period in which animals experience novel environments, social disruption, and handling stress.
Lairage is often a neglected welfare bottleneck in the slaughter process. Animals arrive stressed from transport, are placed in unfamiliar environments with strange conspecifics, and may wait for extended periods without adequate food, water, or human attention. These stressors accumulate and can cause significant suffering. Simple interventions such as same-group penning, quiet handling, adequate water provision, and shorter lairage times can dramatically reduce welfare harm at this stage.