Every livestock death represents a welfare failure — either unavoidable (end of productive life, acute fatal disease) or potentially preventable. Systematic investigation and recording of mortality is one of the most powerful feedback mechanisms available for identifying and addressing welfare problems on farm.
Without investigation, livestock deaths are unreported data points. With systematic recording and investigation, mortality becomes a welfare monitoring tool. Patterns emerge: clusters of deaths in a specific age group, production stage, pen, or season indicate problems that can be addressed. Causes identified at post-mortem (PM) examination allow targeted prevention rather than general management changes.
Post-mortem examination of livestock — performed by veterinary surgeons or trained farmers under veterinary guidance — provides definitive cause-of-death information far more reliably than clinical signs alone. Key benefits:
Effective mortality recording captures: date, animal identity (where possible), age, sex, production group, presumed or confirmed cause of death, and whether the animal was found dead or humanely killed. Mortality records should be reviewed monthly and benchmarked against industry standards and previous years' data. Digital farm management systems facilitate this analysis.
Approximate industry benchmarks for acceptable mortality rates:
Rates exceeding these benchmarks warrant urgent investigation and corrective action.