Farmed animals in tropical and subtropical regions face severe heat stress challenges requiring dedicated management interventions that are often absent from minimum welfare standards.
Heat stress welfare in tropical and subtropical farming systems is a chronically underaddressed problem affecting billions of animals. Global welfare standards developed primarily in temperate regions may fail to adequately address the continuous heat challenges faced by animals in hotter climates. As climate change expands heat stress risk to previously temperate regions, the lessons from tropical farming — including shade design, ventilation investment and breed selection — become relevant globally. Development assistance for farm welfare in low-income tropical countries should prioritise heat stress management.