Farmed Animal Welfare in Extreme Climates

Animals farmed in extreme climates face welfare challenges from heat, cold, drought, and flood that require climate-appropriate housing, management, and genetic selection for resilience to maintain welfare standards.

Key Facts

Heat stress in dairy cows in tropical regions reduces milk production, reproduction, and welfare indicators without cooling interventions
Cold stress in outdoor-managed livestock including sheep and cattle during harsh winters causes energy depletion and in severe cases mortality
Climate-appropriate breeds have evolved tolerances for local conditions that improve welfare relative to introduced breeds in the same environment
Climate change is shifting the severity and duration of thermal extremes, increasing the frequency of welfare-critical events
Shade, ventilation, and water access are the highest-priority welfare interventions in hot climate livestock management

Welfare Considerations

Climate-appropriate livestock management recognizes that animal welfare is contextual — the same management approach has different welfare outcomes in different climates. A breed and management system suited for temperate European conditions may produce significant welfare failures in tropical Africa or sub-Arctic Canada. Climate-appropriate genetic selection, housing design, and management protocols are welfare requirements that vary with local context. Climate change is making this context more variable and extreme, increasing the frequency of heat and cold stress events that exceed current housing and management capacity. Welfare adaptation to climate change is both a welfare imperative and a production resilience investment.

What You Can Do

Support research and development of climate-appropriate livestock management guidelines for different global regions
Advocate for climate adaptation requirements in livestock welfare standards that address extreme heat and cold events
Donate to organizations working on climate-resilient livestock management for small-scale farmers in vulnerable regions
Learn about the specific welfare challenges of livestock farming in different climate zones
Engage with food companies about their climate risk assessment for livestock welfare in their supply chains