Heat stress in dairy cattle causes significant welfare harm and production loss, making effective cooling systems a welfare priority in UK and global dairy farming.
Heat stress causes acute and chronic suffering in dairy cattle — affected animals stand in clusters near water, reduce feed intake and show laboured breathing. Reproductive failure from heat stress reduces pregnancy rates significantly. Cooling systems — fans, sprinklers and shade — dramatically reduce heat stress indicators and welfare harm. As UK summers warm with climate change, cooling system provision will become increasingly important for dairy cow welfare in previously temperate-climate facilities.