How to protect your livestock in extreme heat

By: Dr David Beatty, Group Manager - Productivity & Animal Wellbeing, Meat & Livestock Australia

With extreme temperatures continuing across much of Australia, learn how to best protect your livestock against heat stress in difficult conditions and support your business’ productivity and resilience.

What is heat stress?

Heat stress occurs when livestock are unable to shed body heat effectively, which can lead to reduced feed intake, loss of production and, in severe cases, organ damage or death.

Prolonged high temperatures, humidity, high solar radiation and still air can all increase the risk of excessive heat load. Breed, coat colour, body condition and underlying health are all variables which affect individual animal susceptibility.

Taking immediate steps 

During extreme heat events, producers can take several immediate steps to protect livestock.

Maintain unrestricted access to clean, cool water and check troughs and water points frequently. This is essential because water intake rises sharply during hot conditions.

Provision of shade and ensuring adequate airflow are also essential. Animals must be able to spread out in cooler areas to be able to dissipate heat more effectively.

Handling, transporting or yarding livestock should be postponed until temperatures fall and feeding should be shifted to early mornings or late afternoons to reduce heat load.

Close monitoring for signs of heat stress, such as prolonged open mouth panting and drooling, lethargy or reduced movement is critical for early intervention.

Preparation ahead of hot temperatures is key to safeguard livestock during extreme events. A summer management plan which includes monitoring routines, risk identification and a clear response strategy will go a long way to help protect livestock during extreme temperatures.

Bushfires

At the same time, bushfires pose an increasing challenge during extreme heat. Meat & Livestock Australia (MLA) notes that fire intensity, frequency and scale are expected to rise, making year-round readiness essential.

Producers who implement a detailed fire plan supported by equipment, training and regular preparedness routines experience fewer livestock losses and recover more rapidly after events.

MLA-supported research after the 2019 to 2020 Black Summer fires identified lingering impacts on surviving livestock. These include burn injuries, smoke exposure and possible immune effects that continue during recovery. Understanding these outcomes helps producers refine future preparation and response strategies.

A reliable bushfire plan incorporates fuel reduction, infrastructure improvement, backup water and power supplies and a defined emergency livestock strategy.

Early relocation of stock to refuge paddocks, establishing firebreaks and organising emergency feed are core components of an effective response when fire conditions escalate.