Water scarcity affects livestock welfare in diverse ways from dehydration stress to reduced feed quality, with welfare impacts that will grow with climate change.
Water availability is a foundational welfare requirement for livestock that is often taken for granted in well-watered farming regions but represents a critical welfare challenge in arid and drought-affected areas. Dehydration stress impairs thermoregulation, digestion, milk production, and immune function rapidly — within hours in hot conditions. Climate change is expanding drought risk globally, making water infrastructure and management increasingly critical welfare investments. The welfare return on water system improvements in arid regions is extremely high.