Mortality in geese from organic and conventional production systems transported for slaughter in Germany: The relevance of distance and thermal stress.

While live poultry transport remains a major sector of animal transportation within the European Union, transport-related welfare in geese has received comparatively little scientific attention. Germany was the third largest goose producer in the EU, but the continuing decline in poultry slaughterhouse numbers increases transport distances. The aim of this study was to investigate the relevance of transport distance and thermal conditions on Dead-on-Arrival rates (DOA) in slaughter geese from organic and conventional production systems transported in Germany. Data from 2009 to 2025 including 1,789 commercial transports of slaughter geese were retrospectively analysed, comprising more than 3.2 million animals. The median DOA rate across all analysed transports was 0.048 % (IQR: 0.00 % - 0.137 %). Transport distance ranged from 9.7 to 554.0 km and was not significantly associated with DOA rates. In a multivariable linear regression model with cluster-robust standard errors accounting for repeated transports from the same fattening farm, daily mean temperature was significantly positively associated with DOA rate (β = 0.0115 percentage points per 1°C increase, robust SE = 0.0031, p < 0.001), whereas transport distance, housing system, and year were not significantly associated with DOA rate. Separate analyses of enthalpy categories showed increasing median DOA rates with increasing enthalpy, with comparatively low rates at ≤50 kJ/kg (median = 0.047 %) and the highest rates at >58 kJ/kg (median = 0.28 %). These results demonstrate generally low DOA rates among slaughter geese in Germany while highlighting the need for real-time thermal monitoring and improved thermal risk management during transport to reduce mortality and improve animal welfare.