Dairy cows wilting under unprecedented heat, farmers warn

Dairy cows are being forced to spend vital energy trying to stay cool rather than produce milk, as soaring temperatures and prolonged dry weather place the island’s herds under unprecedented stress, the president of the Dairy and Beef Producers Association has warned.

As farmers are increasingly forced to confront the harsh, intensifying realities of global climate change, McDonald Stevenson, head of the Dairy and Beef Producers Association, is urging farmers to shield the dairy industry from the worst impacts of the scorching heat.

Suggesting that the milk supply might still withstand the drop in yields, he urged farmers to urgently adapt their infrastructure, breeding programmes and forage management.