Articles | Volume 10, issue 4
https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-10-859-2019
https://doi.org/10.5194/esd-10-859-2019
Research article
 | 
05 Dec 2019
Research article |  | 05 Dec 2019

Heat stress risk in European dairy cattle husbandry under different climate change scenarios – uncertainties and potential impacts

Sabrina Hempel, Christoph Menz, Severino Pinto, Elena Galán, David Janke, Fernando Estellés, Theresa Müschner-Siemens, Xiaoshuai Wang, Julia Heinicke, Guoqiang Zhang, Barbara Amon, Agustín del Prado, and Thomas Amon

Data sets

Indoor climate projections for European cattle barns, Mendeley Data, v1 S. Hempel and C. Menz https://doi.org/10.17632/tjp8h523p7.1

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Short summary
Decreasing humidity and increasing wind speed regionally alleviate the heat load on farm animals, but future temperature rise considerably increases the heat stress risk. Livestock housed in open barns (or on pastures), such as dairy cattle, is particularly vulnerable. Without adaptation, heat waves will considerably reduce the gross margin of a livestock producer. Negative effects on productivity, health and animal welfare as well as increasing methane and ammonia emissions are expected.
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