IATA Unveils LAR Verify to Enhance Safety and Efficiency in Live Animal Transport

For over half a century, IATA’s Live Animals Regulations (LAR) have set the global benchmark for the safe air transport of live animals.

In a significant move aimed at elevating the standards of live animal transport across the globe, the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has launched LAR Verify, a cutting-edge digital portal designed to ensure the welfare, safety, and compliance of live animal shipments by air. This innovation marks a milestone in air cargo management, aligning with IATA’s broader digitalization strategy and the objectives of its ONE Record initiative.

For over half a century, IATA’s Live Animals Regulations (LAR) have set the global benchmark for the safe air transport of live animals. These comprehensive guidelines cover every aspect of animal welfare in transit, from container specifications and handling procedures to documentation and regulatory compliance. LAR Verify takes this legacy into the digital age, offering an automated compliance solution that modernizes how live animal cargo is planned, booked, accepted, and handled.

Meeting Rising Demand with Smart Solutions

According to IATA data, nearly 200,000 live animal shipments were processed globally in 2024—an 11% increase compared to 2019. This surge reflects both the growing demand for specialized cargo and the increasing complexity of managing live animal logistics across borders.

“The volume of specialized cargo—live animals in particular—continues to grow,” said 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. The release of LAR Verify is a key milestone towards achieving a single source of truth for live animal shipments.”

A Fully Integrated, Digital Ecosystem

LAR Verify is built to be seamlessly embedded into airline and freight forwarder cargo management systems, reducing friction and manual intervention in the supply chain. The portal offers user-friendly access to real-time, operator-specific, and destination-specific requirements derived from the Live Animals Regulations. It also enables stakeholders to:

• Access up-to-date state and operator regulations for exporting, importing, transiting, or transferring live animals.

• Retrieve documentation requirements like permits, import licenses, and health certificates specific to each destination.

• Determine accurate animal classifications and match them with required container standards, labelling, and handling protocols.

• Stay informed about regional trade embargoes, disease outbreaks (e.g., avian flu, African swine fever), and changes in international veterinary regulations.

A central feature of LAR Verify is its robust API integration, which enables shippers and freight forwarders to upload all necessary documentation directly into the system for airline review. Once the documents are verified and approved, the airline can issue a physical acceptance certificate. This pre-approval process eliminates the need for live animals to be physically moved until all compliance criteria have been met, significantly reducing stress on the animals and minimizing the risk of rejection at checkpoints.

Advancing IATA’s ONE Record Vision

LAR Verify directly supports IATA’s ONE Record initiative, a long-term vision to create a single, standardized digital record for every air cargo shipment. By promoting data transparency, interoperability, and automation, LAR Verify aims to become the centralized source of truth for the transport of live animals by air.

With the integration of LAR Verify, IATA is empowering the air cargo industry to move towards a future where all shipments—especially those involving live animals—are handled with greater accuracy, care, and efficiency. Airlines, shippers, freight forwarders, and regulators now have a powerful tool to ensure that the logistics of transporting live animals are compliant, humane, and resilient to changing global conditions.

As live animal transport continues to grow in both scale and scrutiny, LAR Verify stands as a critical development, signaling a new era of digitally enabled, welfare-centric air cargo operations.