Heat stress causes significant suffering in dairy and beef cattle, reducing welfare and productivity, and is increasingly severe as global temperatures rise with climate change.
Heat stress in cattle causes prolonged physiological suffering that is easy to underestimate because it develops gradually rather than dramatically. Cattle experiencing heat stress breathe rapidly and shallowly, bunch in shade or near water, reduce movement, and eat less — all indicators of significant thermal discomfort. Milk production drops sharply as energy is diverted to thermoregulation. Pregnant cows under heat stress compromise fetal development, creating welfare harms that extend to the next generation. As climate change extends and intensifies heat stress periods, investing in cooling infrastructure becomes both an ethical obligation and an economic necessity for responsible cattle farming.