Live Cattle by Air
Liam,
It comes down to the old 'Market Forces' I once asked a cattle buyer why he flew the animals live, when he could carry more if they were dead and frozen. The reply - my customers want fresh meat not frozen. Also, as another poster has raised, the alternative is long overland trucking. At some mainland European airports I have seen vets checking the animals (veal calves), counting number in a pen, and refusing animals if not considered in good condition. In Eastern Europe, I have also seen the opposite, where the shipper has crowded the animals, the aircraft has been loaded too early (still waiting for part of the load to arrive), and with difficulty maintaining a cool temperature some of the animals died on the ground. Man couldn't care less, even though it obviously meant less profit.
Now England has had the beef ban lifted, I imagine farmers want to try to regain their European market and it has been found the animals suffer less stress travelling by air than being trucked, therefore arriving fresher to market.
I don't think it will make a lot of difference to the animal protesters which port the animals are moved through, they will still have their shout, comes from living in a democracy.