Sheep are particularly vulnerable during long-distance transport, with heat stress, transit fever, and dehydration causing suffering and mortality that preventive welfare measures can significantly reduce.
Sheep experience transport as highly threatening. As prey species they are acutely sensitive to novel environments, unfamiliar animals, and movement. Transit fever results from immunosuppression by transport stress. In hot weather, overcrowded lorries become heat chambers causing hyperthermia and death. Improved ventilation, lower density, shorter journeys, and better rest stop standards all reduce welfare costs.