Rising temperatures due to climate change are increasing heat stress in dairy cows, making heat abatement infrastructure a growing welfare priority.
Heat-stressed cows pant, crowd at water troughs, and reduce lying time in a desperate attempt to thermoregulate. Chronic heat stress causes immune suppression, lameness, mastitis susceptibility, and metabolic disease. Climate change projections indicate that UK dairy cattle will experience substantially more heat stress days per year by 2050. Welfare-focused producers invest in cooling infrastructure now to maintain cow welfare as conditions change.