Global warming impact on confined livestock in buildings: efficacy of adaptation measures to reduce heat stress for growing-fattening pigs

• DOI: 10.1007/s10584-019-02525-3
• Publication Date: 2019-08-21T07:02:28Z
• Authors: Günther Schauberger; Christian Mikovits; Werner Zollitsch; Stefan J. Hörtenh...; Johannes Baumgartner; Knut Niebuhr; Martin Piringer; Werner Knauder; Ivonne Anders; Konrad Andre; Isabel Hennig-Pauka; Martin Schönhart
• Keywords: Heat index

Pigs and poultry are raised predominantly at high stocking densities in confined, insulated livestock buildings with mechanical ventilation systems. These systems quite sensitive to heat stress, which has increased recent decades from anthropogenic warming. A dataset of hourly meteorological data 1981 2017 was used drive a steady-state balance model for sensible latent that simulates the indoor climate conventional reference system, this predict effect global warming on growing-fattening pigs housed such confinement buildings. Seven adaptation measures were selected investigate climate; these included three energy-saving air preparation systems, doubling maximum rate, reduction density, shift feeding resting time patterns. The impact stress animals calculated following metrics: threshold temperature, temperature-humidity index, body mass–adapted temperature. seven quantified by factors parameters. highest comparison system achieved range 54 92% adiabatic 65 100% an earth-air exchanger, followed increase rate shift. density showed lowest improvement. In addition temporal trend over also quantify resilience pig efficacy some is great enough mitigate occurs due