Future-ready livestock systems: climate resilience, animal welfare and sustainable adaptation

Climate change is increasingly challenging the sustainability, productivity, and welfare of livestock systems worldwide. Rising temperatures, prolonged droughts, water scarcity, changing precipitation patterns, and emerging disease risks directly affect animal health, welfare, feed availability, reproductive performance, and farm profitability. These pressures are particularly pronounced in climate-sensitive regions such as the Mediterranean, where livestock production is closely linked to limited natural resources and highly variable environmental conditions. Strengthening the adaptive capacity of livestock systems therefore requires an integrated approach that simultaneously addresses animal welfare, environmental sustainability, technological innovation, and farm resilience. This paper examines key pathways for developing climate-resilient livestock systems by integrating animal-based, environmental, technological, and management strategies. Particular attention is given to climate-adapted breeds and genetic resources, heat-stress mitigation, improved animal health and welfare management, adaptive grazing, sustainable pasture and forage management, integrated crop–livestock systems, and efficient use of water and other natural resources. The potential of precision livestock farming, digital monitoring, sensor-based technologies, early-warning systems, and data-driven decision-support tools to anticipate climate-related risks and improve adaptive management is also considered. Beyond farm-level interventions, the paper highlights the importance of enabling mechanisms, including climate-risk assessment, financial instruments, farmer training, institutional support, and appropriate policy frameworks. Evidence and examples from different production environments are used to demonstrate how locally adapted solutions can enhance animal welfare and productivity while reducing environmental pressures and strengthening resilience to climatic shocks. The paper emphasizes that climate resilience should not be addressed solely as a productivity or environmental challenge but through a systems-based framework that recognizes the interconnections among animal welfare, ecological sustainability, technological innovation, and socio-economic viability. Building future-ready livestock systems will therefore require coordinated research, policy support, investment, and stakeholder engagement to translate climate adaptation strategies into practical and scalable solutions.