Heat stress increasingly threatens livestock welfare as temperatures rise. Cooling infrastructure including shade, fans, and misters is becoming essential for welfare-compliant production.
Heat stress in livestock is a growing welfare crisis as climate change increases baseline temperatures and frequency of extreme heat events. Heat-stressed animals experience discomfort, reduced feed intake, impaired immune function, and in severe cases cardiac and respiratory failure. Cooling infrastructure — shade, mechanical ventilation, misting systems, and wallows for pigs — can substantially reduce heat stress impacts on welfare. The welfare and economic cases for cooling investment are aligned: reduced heat stress improves both animal welfare and production metrics. As climate projections indicate increasing heat stress risk, cooling infrastructure is becoming welfare-essential rather than welfare-optional for producers in many regions.