Heat stress in dairy and beef cattle causes significant welfare and production problems. As temperatures rise with climate change, heat abatement investment becomes increasingly critical.
Cattle heat stress is a growing welfare concern as UK summer temperatures increase under climate change. A dairy cow with a respiration rate above 80 breaths per minute is in measurable physiological distress - the heat load exceeds her capacity to dissipate through normal thermoregulation. The welfare effects are real: reduced activity, reduced feeding, and chronic activation of the stress response. Heat abatement investment - shade structures, forced ventilation, misting systems - reduces acute distress and chronic stress burden. Climate adaptation planning for cattle farms must include heat abatement as a welfare priority, not just a production response.