How do we justify the torture of animals in hot and crowded factory farms, while we worry the pavement is too warm for our dogs to walk on? The cognitive dissonance is blatant; love for animals is completely determined by their species and our feelings towards them.
In economically developed countries, among more affluent populations, humans and their pets can retreat to air-conditioned spaces, or at the very least rest in the shade with cold drinks and fans. This consideration for the animals we love is limited to those belonging to a species we consider worthy and capable of care and comfort. Meanwhile millions of animals inside industrial farming units face a quiet, desperate crisis. Europe’s fifth heat wave has pushed indoor farm temperatures to dangerous thresholds, in which lie lethal thermal conditions for crowded livestock.
Pigs and poultry are especially vulnerable. Chickens cannot sweat, and pigs lack functional sweat glands, leaving them reliant on panting to shed excess heat. In standard intensive sheds, high ‘stocking’ of these animals combined with stagnant, humid air overwhelm any basic ventilation system. Moreover, when outdoor temperatures exceed 35°C, even mechanical cooling often fail to drop indoor conditions to safe levels, leading to widespread heat stress, severe respiratory distress, and heart failure.
Industrial farming design that leaves zero margin for extreme weather. Animals bred for rapid weight gain generate immense metabolic heat, making survival during prolonged heat waves nearly impossible and torturous. As summers intensify and heat waves become the norm, continuing to pack millions of animals into high-density sheds is an ethical disaster. If we worry about our dogs’ paws touching hot pavements, there is no justification for consuming animal products of beings who’ve died long torturous deaths. The animals on our plate suffered just as much as a dog or cat would. It is time to change.