Farm Animals

Farmed Pig Welfare and Climate Change: Adaptation Priorities

Climate change creates new pig welfare challenges including heat stress, disease range expansion, and resource scarcity.

Key Facts

European pig farms are experiencing more frequent heat stress events as summer temperatures rise
Heat stress in pigs above 25 degrees Celsius causes reduced feed intake and reproductive failure
Vector-borne diseases including African Swine Fever are expanding their range with warming climate
Drought-driven feed cost increases reduce welfare investment capacity in the pig sector

Welfare Considerations

Climate change creates compounding welfare challenges for pigs - more heat stress events, expanding disease ranges, and economic pressures that reduce welfare investment. Climate-adaptive housing, disease surveillance, and biosecurity investment are welfare priorities that reduce climate-related welfare deterioration.

What You Can Do

Support pig farming research into climate-adaptive housing and ventilation
Advocate for welfare protection in climate change adaptation strategies for agriculture
Choose pork from farms demonstrating proactive climate adaptation planning