Rising global temperatures are creating a growing livestock heat stress crisis — dairy cows, pigs, and poultry suffer measurable welfare and productivity losses as ambient temperatures increase.
Heat stress causes genuine suffering — animals pant heavily, reduce feed intake, lose body condition, and in severe cases die. Prolonged heat stress suppresses immunity, increases lameness risk, and causes reproductive failures. Climate change is making heat stress events more frequent and severe across major livestock regions, requiring urgent welfare adaptation planning.