Extreme heat is no longer an exceptional event. It is already threatening the welfare and survival of farmed animals and affecting agriculture across Europe.
The summer of 2026 has provided another stark warning. In June, temperatures exceeding 40°C contributed to the deaths of around 3 million poultry in western France. In Belgium and Italy, heat stress reduced milk production, feed intake and animal growth, while farmers faced significant additional costs to protect their animals.
These are not simply economic losses. They are signs of animals struggling to cope with conditions that can exceed their physiological limits. Heat stress causes panting, dehydration, exhaustion and severe physiological distress, while reducing growth, milk production and reproductive performance. And the problem extends beyond farms: animal transport can turn extreme heat into a critical welfare emergency, with confinement, stocking density, poor ventilation and delays leaving animals particularly vulnerable.
Research on 146 million transported broiler chickens found that when loading temperatures exceeded 30°C, mortality on arrival was 16.9 times higher. EFSA has also identified relatively low upper critical temperatures for transported animals, including around 25°C for cattle and finishing pigs and 22°C for sows.
Climate change will make these risks more frequent. A 2026 Nature study projects that by 2050, 6.2–13.7 million cattle in the EU and UK could experience at least 15 additional heatwave days compared with current conditions.
Europe needs a climate-resilient livestock policy
We have written to Commissioners Hansen and Várhelyi, calling on the European Commission to make climate resilience and heat protection a core part of the EU Livestock Strategy and forthcoming animal-welfare legislation.
We are calling for:
- EU-wide monitoring of heat-related animal mortality and welfare impacts;
- Science-based temperature and humidity thresholds for animal transport, with journeys restricted or suspended when conditions become dangerous;
- Effective contingency plans covering transport, delays, lairage and slaughter during heatwaves;
- Shorter journeys, lower stocking densities and greater space to reduce thermal risk;
- EU agricultural funding that supports climate-resilient farming systems;
- Assessment of farming systems against future climatic conditions, including housing, stocking density, shade, water and outdoor access.
Olga Kikou, Founder and Director of Animal Advocacy & Food Transition said:
“Adaptation cannot simply mean installing more fans. We must also ask whether the scale and density of some farming systems remain appropriate for the climate Europe is moving into.We should not wait for mass mortality to become a normal feature of European summers before acting.”
The EU now has an opportunity to build a policy that protects animals, supports farmers and prepares European agriculture for a hotter future.
