Heat stress is a major welfare concern in commercial pig production, with effective cooling systems and management practices significantly improving outcomes.
Pigs experiencing heat stress display reduced feed intake, increased water consumption, lethargy, and increased respiration rate. Severe heat stress causes cardiovascular collapse and death. Sows in late gestation experiencing heat stress have smaller litters with lower birth weights. Lactating sows with heat stress reduce milk production, impairing piglet welfare. The cumulative welfare cost of inadequate heat management across the world's intensive pig population is enormous and increasingly urgent as climate change progresses.