Extreme heat events are increasing in frequency and intensity with climate change, requiring livestock producers to have emergency welfare protocols that can be activated rapidly when temperature thresholds are reached.
Livestock heat wave emergencies are a growing welfare challenge as climate change intensifies extreme weather events. Animals in enclosed buildings face acute welfare crises within hours of ventilation failure or external temperature extremes that exceed building cooling capacity. The welfare obligation requires emergency protocols to be prepared in advance, not improvised during an event. This means pre-positioned emergency equipment, relationships with electrical suppliers for rapid response, pre-defined decision trees for emergency destocking or euthanasia when cooling cannot be restored, and financial planning that allows welfare-protective decisions to be made without economic pressure overriding animal interests.