Pigs are highly vulnerable to heat stress due to limited thermoregulatory ability, making temperature management a critical welfare and productivity concern.
Heat stress causes significant suffering in pigs through discomfort, physiological disruption, and secondary health effects. Confinement housing that restricts wallowing and normal cooling behaviour denies pigs a key thermoregulatory strategy. In outdoor systems, shade access and water wallows are essential. In confinement, mechanical ventilation systems must be designed and maintained to function effectively during extreme temperature events. As climate change increases the frequency and severity of heat events, farms in vulnerable regions must invest in infrastructure upgrades to prevent mass welfare emergencies. Welfare audits increasingly include heat stress risk assessment as a core component.