Heat stress in dairy and beef cattle reduces welfare, milk production and reproductive success, with cooling interventions providing significant welfare benefits in hot climates and changing climate conditions.
Heat stress causes acute and chronic suffering - cows panting for hours, unable to rest comfortably, with reduced appetite and reproductive failure. In severe cases, heat stress causes death. The welfare case for cooling interventions is strong and economically justified - milk production losses from heat stress in dairy systems make cooling economically as well as morally compelling. Despite this alignment, shade provision and cooling remain inconsistent on UK and European farms, particularly in beef systems where economic returns from welfare investment are less direct. Climate change makes heat stress planning a routine welfare requirement for all cattle-keeping regions that experience summer temperatures, not just those in traditionally hot climates.