<abstract xmlns="http://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml">

<p>With the increasing human population and urbanization, the demand for animal origin products is going to grow, especially in the developing nations till 2050’s and the production needs to be escalated and optimized with the changing climate. Heat stress is known to reduce the animal performance, production, shelf life and meat quality in all animals. The beef cattle are globally reared, following different managemental practices so, the usage of natural resources like land and water, manpower, fodders, production systems and the environmental impact also varies profoundly. Recent changes in the climate, global warming and depletion of resources have severely affected the production and heat stress is now a common constraint all over the world. Due to evolutionary diversification the tropical and temperate breeds are comparatively more thermotolerant, but the beef cattle in the colder regions are vulnerable to high environmental temperatures. Also, the production of beef increases the carbon footprint and is much less eco-friendly, than growing plant-based protein. So, we comprehended the environmental temperature variation over the continents and impact of heat stress on beef cattle. Also, other factors like, cattle population, land and pasture usage, livestock units in trade, methane emissions and gross beef production value were examined to evaluate the collective impact of all these on the beef sector. Our findings and predictions reveal that, in the advent of climate change, depleting natural resources and rise in the greenhouse gases, beef production will be constant challenge, which can be only achieved by maintaining a healthy cattle population and optimum usage of natural resources. Only then the beef sector can be efficient, sustainable, and a profitable enterprise in future.</p>
</abstract>

With the increasing human population and urbanization, the demand for animal origin products is going to grow, especially in the developing nations till 2050’s and the production needs to be escalated and optimized with the changing climate. Heat stress is known to reduce the animal performance, production, shelf life and meat quality in all animals. The beef cattle are globally reared, following different managemental practices so, the usage of natural resources like land and water, manpower, fodders, production systems and the environmental impact also varies profoundly. Recent changes in the climate, global warming and depletion of resources have severely affected the production and heat stress is now a common constraint all over the world. Due to evolutionary diversification the tropical and temperate breeds are comparatively more thermotolerant, but the beef cattle in the colder regions are vulnerable to high environmental temperatures. Also, the production of beef increases the carbon footprint and is much less eco-friendly, than growing plant-based protein. So, we comprehended the environmental temperature variation over the continents and impact of heat stress on beef cattle. Also, other factors like, cattle population, land and pasture usage, livestock units in trade, methane emissions and gross beef production value were examined to evaluate the collective impact of all these on the beef sector. Our findings and predictions reveal that, in the advent of climate change, depleting natural resources and rise in the greenhouse gases, beef production will be constant challenge, which can be only achieved by maintaining a healthy cattle population and optimum usage of natural resources. Only then the beef sector can be efficient, sustainable, and a profitable enterprise in future.

Heat stress in beef cattle: climate change and the global scenario – a review

Department of Veterinary Medicine, College of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Parbhani-431402, Maharashtra

Maharashtra Animal and Fishery Sciences University

Annals of Animal Science

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

With the increasing human population and urbanization, the demand for animal origin products is going to grow, especially in the developing nations till 2050’s...

Heat stress in beef cattle: climate change and the global scenario – a review

Publié en ligne: 27 févr. 2024

Pages: -

Reçu: 27 sept. 2023

Accepté: 30 janv. 2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/aoas-2024-0026

Mots clés
beef cattle, heat stress, climate change, sustainable production, carbon footprint

© 2024 A.K. Wankar et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Heat stress in beef cattle: climate change and the global scenario – a review

Publié en ligne: 27 févr. 2024

Pages: -

Reçu: 27 sept. 2023

Accepté: 30 janv. 2024

DOI: https://doi.org/10.2478/aoas-2024-0026

Mots clésbeef cattle, heat stress, climate change, sustainable production, carbon footprint

© 2024 A.K. Wankar et al., published by Sciendo

This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

Mots clés
beef cattle, heat stress, climate change, sustainable production, carbon footprint