Adapting cattle farming to increasing climate heat requires changes in breed selection, housing, and management to protect welfare in a warming world.
Heat-stressed cattle show elevated respiratory rates, reduced feed intake, and eventually collapse in severe cases. Chronic heat stress impairs reproductive performance, immune function, and milk production. Adapting housing and breed selection for increasing temperatures prevents future welfare crises rather than managing them after they occur. Investment in climate adaptation infrastructure now reduces the scale of welfare emergencies expected under climate projections.