Hyperthermia in cattle during summer months causes significant welfare problems including reduced milk production, reproductive failure, and heat stroke mortality in extreme cases.
Heat-stressed cattle experience genuine suffering including panting, excessive salivation, weakness, and in severe cases collapse and death. Chronic heat stress causes prolonged discomfort and reduces immune function, making animals more susceptible to disease. Reproductive failure from heat stress causes significant welfare harm as cows undergo repeated unsuccessful insemination cycles. In intensive housed systems without adequate cooling, heat stress can affect entire herds simultaneously, creating large-scale welfare incidents during heatwaves.