Climate change is creating new welfare challenges for farm animals through increased heat stress, novel disease vectors, and changing nutritional landscapes.
Climate change is not an abstract welfare risk but an immediate one. UK farms are already experiencing increased heat stress events, novel disease outbreaks, and nutritional challenges from drought. Welfare-conscious farmers need to adapt housing, nutrition, and health management proactively rather than reactively. The farmers best equipped to protect animal welfare in a changing climate are those with strong baseline welfare management and access to veterinary guidance.