Farm Animals

Livestock Extreme Weather Welfare

Extreme weather events including floods, droughts, and heat waves create acute and chronic welfare crises for livestock globally.

Key Facts

UK summers are increasingly exceeding dangerous heat thresholds for housed livestock
Flooding of farms can trap or drown livestock and destroy winter fodder supplies
Heat stress in dairy cows reduces fertility, immunity, and milk production
Extreme cold and wet conditions increase lamb mortality and foot disease in sheep
Climate adaptation planning in farming must explicitly consider animal welfare

Welfare Considerations

Extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and severity, creating new welfare emergencies for livestock. Farm-level climate adaptation planning that prioritises animal welfare is urgently needed.

What You Can Do

Support farmers in developing heat contingency and flood response plans
Advocate for animal welfare to be central to agricultural climate adaptation policy
Engage with the link between climate change and farm animal welfare
Support disaster response organisations that include livestock welfare in their remit
Choose food from farms demonstrating climate resilience planning