Heat stress causes significant suffering and productivity losses in dairy and beef cattle, and climate change is increasing its frequency and severity.
Heat stress causes acute suffering in cattle that is often underestimated because behavioral signs like reduced activity and shade-seeking are subtle. Panting and drooling represent significant physiological strain. The metabolic demands of high-producing dairy cows make them especially vulnerable. Prolonged heat stress causes immune suppression increasing disease risk. Death from heat prostration occurs in extreme events. The combination of readily available mitigation measures and significant economic incentive makes heat stress one of the most tractable welfare improvements in commercial cattle systems, yet provision of adequate cooling remains inconsistent.