Heat stress in cattle causes significant welfare problems and production losses, and climate change is increasing both frequency and severity of heat stress events globally.
Heat stress causes measurable suffering in cattle through panting, reduced activity, altered social behaviour, and in severe cases collapse and death. Chronic subacute heat stress is harder to detect but causes persistent welfare compromise through immune suppression, reduced feed intake, and reproductive failure. Farms in traditionally temperate climates are increasingly experiencing heat events that their infrastructure was not designed to handle. Proactive investment in shade, ventilation, and cooling systems is both a welfare and economic necessity as climate change advances. Breed selection for heat tolerance is a longer-term adaptation strategy.