Heat stress causes significant welfare problems for dairy cows and is intensifying with climate change, requiring proactive adaptation strategies in dairy management systems.
Heat stress in dairy cows is both a current welfare crisis and an accelerating one. High-producing dairy cows generate significant metabolic heat as a byproduct of milk production, making them particularly vulnerable to thermal stress at temperatures that would not affect beef cattle. The welfare impacts are real and measurable: heat-stressed cows breathe rapidly, bunch together around water sources, reduce grazing, and show reproductive failure. Cooling infrastructure — adequate shade, fans, and misting systems — provides genuine welfare relief. Building this infrastructure before heat stress becomes acute is the welfare-positive approach, particularly as climate change makes heat events more frequent and severe.