Climate change is intensifying heat stress risk for billions of farm animals. Evidence-based management approaches can dramatically reduce suffering from thermal stress.
Heat stress in farm animals is expected to become increasingly severe as climate change drives more frequent and intense heat events in major livestock producing regions. The welfare implications are substantial: acute heat stress causes visible suffering evidenced by panting, reduced activity, abnormal postures, and in severe cases collapse and death. Chronic mild heat stress causes sustained immune suppression and reproductive failure that compounds welfare harm over weeks. The most vulnerable species are high-producing dairy cows (metabolic heat generation), pigs (inability to sweat), and intensively housed poultry (limited airflow, high stocking densities). Management solutions exist and are cost-effective: shade provision, forced ventilation, evaporative cooling, and shade for feedlot cattle all demonstrate strong welfare and productivity benefits. Climate adaptation in livestock farming must prioritize welfare alongside economic considerations as heat events become more frequent.