Climate change is creating new welfare challenges for livestock through increased heat stress, disease emergence, and feed supply uncertainty.
Climate change creates welfare challenges for livestock by extending and intensifying heat stress periods, expanding disease vectors into new regions, and increasing the frequency of extreme weather events that stress animals directly. Livestock bred for maximum production in temperate climates may be particularly vulnerable to temperature increases. The welfare implications of climate change for farm animals are systemic and require adaptation at the breed, management, and policy levels.