Climate change is creating new welfare challenges for livestock through increased heat events, changed disease patterns, and extreme weather. Adapting livestock management and production systems to changing conditions is increasingly critical.
Climate change creates both chronic welfare challenges (more frequent and severe heat stress, changing disease patterns) and acute welfare emergencies (flooding, drought, extreme cold snaps). Adapting to these changes requires both short-term management responses and long-term infrastructure and breed selection changes. Animals that cannot behaviorally thermoregulate due to housing constraints or limited water access are particularly vulnerable during heat events. Emergency planning for extreme weather events should be standard practice on all livestock farms.