Livestock Heat Stress Under Climate Change

Rising global temperatures are increasingly exposing farmed animals to heat stress, reducing productivity, compromising immune function, and causing significant suffering — making climate adaptation a welfare imperative for the livestock sector.

Key Facts

Dairy cows experience heat stress at temperatures above 25 degrees Celsius; productivity losses can reach 20-30%
Heat stress reduces fertility, suppresses immune function, and increases mortality risk in poultry, pigs, and cattle
Broiler chickens, bred for rapid growth with high metabolic rates, are especially vulnerable to heat-related mortality
Providing shade, ventilation, cooling systems, and water access are the primary heat mitigation measures on farms
Climate projections suggest heat stress days will increase substantially across major livestock-producing regions by 2050

Welfare Considerations

Heat stress is already a major welfare problem in livestock farming and will worsen without adaptation investment. Welfare-positive adaptation includes providing shade structures, sprinkler systems, improved ventilation, and adjusting feeding schedules to cooler parts of the day. Selective breeding for heat-tolerant genetics alongside welfare-optimised housing design are longer-term solutions. For consumers, reducing livestock product consumption reduces the scale of animals exposed to worsening heat stress risk.

What You Can Do

Advocate for heat stress mitigation requirements in farm assurance and welfare certification schemes
Support research into heat-tolerant livestock breeds that maintain welfare under higher temperatures
Reduce consumption of animal products to shrink the total population of animals exposed to climate heat risks
Engage with climate policy as an animal welfare issue, advocating for ambitious emissions reduction targets