Europe’s livestock sector faces heatwave reckoning after millions of chickens die

France’s late-June heatwave killed an estimated 2.5 million to 3 million broiler chickens, according to Le Monde, with Brittany among the worst-hit regions. The scale of mortality overwhelmed rendering services and forced authorities to allow emergency on-farm burial in some cases, turning the heatwave into an animal welfare crisis and a logistical emergency for farmers. The heatwave’s impact extended beyond France. In Belgium, farmers warned that cows and pigs were suffering heat stress, reducing feed intake, milk yields, and growth rates. The rolling effects are expected to result in losses for dairy and meat production. Animal rights groups also flagged livestock transport as a growing risk for animal welfare across Europe, calling for tighter restrictions on moving animals in vehicles during extreme heat. The deaths have opened a wider debate over how European livestock farming can protect animals and farmers from climate extremes, while also cutting the emissions that help ...