Rising temperatures from climate change are increasing heat stress in livestock, causing significant welfare harm and productivity losses that require urgent adaptation measures in animal agriculture.
Livestock heat stress is a welfare emergency that is intensifying as climate change increases average temperatures and the frequency of heat waves. Animals in intensive housing without cooling systems experience prolonged heat stress during hot periods, causing physical suffering, immune suppression and in severe cases death. The welfare harm extends to reproductive failure — heat-stressed cattle have dramatically reduced conception rates — and altered social behaviour from thermal discomfort. Adaptation measures including improved housing ventilation, shading, cooling systems and adjusted feeding schedules can significantly reduce heat stress welfare impacts and are increasingly cost-effective as temperatures rise.