Livestock

Livestock Heat Stress: Climate Change and Farm Animal Suffering

Rising global temperatures are worsening heat stress in farm animals, causing significant welfare harm and production losses.

Key Facts

Pigs cannot sweat and die when temperatures exceed 29 degrees C without cooling
Dairy cows experience heat stress above 25 degrees C, reducing milk production and immune function
Poultry heat stroke deaths spike during summer heat waves in large housing facilities
Climate change models predict 30-50% increases in severe heat stress days for livestock by 2050
Heat-stressed animals show reduced feed intake, increased water consumption, and behavioral changes

Welfare Considerations

Heat stress causes profound physiological suffering in farm animals. Pigs die rapidly without shade and water access. Dairy cows in heat stress show immune suppression, mastitis increases, and reproductive failure. Poultry in large sheds die by the thousands during summer heat events when ventilation fails. Climate change is making these events more frequent and severe, expanding the scale of livestock heat stress suffering globally.

What You Can Do

Support livestock housing ventilation standards that require cooling capacity
Advocate for heat stress emergency protocols on farms during extreme heat events
Choose livestock products from farms with certified shade and cooling provision
Donate to research into heat-tolerant livestock breeds and management practices
Support climate policy that reduces the frequency and severity of extreme heat events