Evidence-based strategies for protecting livestock from heat stress as temperatures rise globally.
Heat stress in livestock causes suffering that is visible in behavioral indicators — reduced grazing, shade-seeking, respiratory distress, and reduced intake — but the full welfare impact includes physiological harm that occurs below the threshold of behavioral observation. Dairy cows heat-stressed during pregnancy produce calves with reduced immune function and lifelong productivity impacts. The cumulative welfare harm of annual heat stress periods is substantial. Climate adaptation in livestock farming requires both infrastructure investment — shade, ventilation, cooling systems — and genetic strategies that build heat tolerance into future populations. Farms that invest in comprehensive heat abatement create measurably better welfare outcomes and maintain productivity that incentivizes adoption across the industry.