IATA portal protects animals in transit

The International Air Transport Association (IATA) has launched LAR Verify, a digital portal to improve the welfare and safe transport of live animals by air.

Using LAR Verify, airlines, shippers and freight forwarders can access accurate operator and destination-specific requirements as defined by the IATA Live Animals Regulations (LAR). The regulations have formed the basis for the worldwide transport of live animals by air for more than 50 years.

The new portal provides automated compliance for live animal shipments, streamlining planning, booking, acceptance, and handling. IATA data shows that there were close to 200,000 live animal shipments globally in 2024 – up 11% since 2019.

“The volume of specialised cargo – live animals in particular – continues to grow,” says Brendan Sullivan, IATA’s global head of cargo. “To manage this opportunity safely and efficiently, a single digital portal that provides access to relevant LAR regulations and facilitates data sharing is mission critical. As envisioned by IATA’s ONE Record initiative, the release of LAR Verify is a key milestone towards achieving a single source of truth for live animal shipments.”

LAR Verify can be embedded into cargo management systems to integrate with existing workflows. It provides details on:

• State and operator regulations, including on the export, import, transit and transfer of live animals.
• Documentation requirements such as import licenses per destination.
• Animal classification along with technical standards such as container requirements and labelling.
• Liveupdates on regional embargoes and trade regulations, including requirements around managing disease outbreaks.

Through an API, shippers and freight forwarders can upload required documents for airline verification. Once documents are correct, airlines can issue a physical acceptance of the cargo, negating the need to move live animals until their travel is confirmed.