Heat Stress Makes Slaughterhouse Welfare a Matter of Weather Logistics

The Food Standards Agency (FSA) has updated its executive report with figures showing how far heat has become an operational issue for slaughter plants and animal transport. Between May and July 2026, recorded heat-stress cases in poultry were well above those in the previous two years; June stood out with 22,633 animals affected. In pigs, June was also exceptional, with 501 animals affected. These figures do not represent animal losses, but they do describe a welfare burden that now has to be managed within the meat chain.