Livestock Heat Stress Management

Heat stress is a significant and increasingly prevalent welfare and production challenge for livestock as global temperatures rise.

Key Facts

Cattle, pigs, and poultry are all highly susceptible to heat stress, with pigs having particularly limited thermoregulation capacity
Heat stress causes reduced feed intake, increased water consumption, reproductive failure, and in severe cases, death
The Temperature Humidity Index (THI) is used to assess heat stress risk in cattle — above 68 THI, performance declines
Evaporative cooling, shade provision, and fan systems significantly reduce heat stress in housed animals
Climate change is expanding heat stress risk geographically and extending the duration of high-risk periods annually

Welfare Considerations

Heat stress is a welfare emergency when severe. Animals unable to regulate body temperature suffer physiologically and psychologically. Crowded housing with inadequate ventilation dramatically amplifies heat stress effects. As climate change intensifies, livestock producers worldwide must invest in cooling infrastructure and management practices that were previously unnecessary in cooler regions.

What You Can Do

Choose meat products from farms with documented cooling systems and shade provision for outdoor animals
Support livestock welfare regulations that mandate cooling provisions during heat events
Advocate for climate adaptation planning in agricultural policy that includes livestock welfare requirements
Support research into heat-tolerant livestock breeds and production systems adapted to warming climates