Hot Weather

In various parts of the world sheep must be feeling the heat. The Met Office says that last month was the hottest June in the UK since records began. The World Meteorological Organization (WMO), depicting findings of the Copernicus Climate Change/European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts, said on 6 July ‘The world just had the hottest June on record’ (News section). In Headline Statements of the AR6 Synthesis Report: Climate Change 2023 (March 2023) of The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change it is said: ‘Human activities, principally through emissions of greenhouse gases, have unequivocally caused global warming, with global surface temperature reaching 1.1°C above 1850-1900 in 2011-2020.’  And adding another dimension, WMO announced in a 4 July press release ‘El Niño develops in tropical Pacific. It will likely fuel further global temperature increase.’  

All those who look after sheep need to have awareness of how sheep are, and are likely to be, affected directly and indirectly by hotter weather. For the sheep’s welfare and for sheep not to suffer, sheep’s carers need to take measures to ameliorate the situation as far as possible.

Heat is increasing, hot spells are extending. Hot weather is delivering wildfires. From greater and more heat is delivered: parching of sheep’s pasture; more and sooner drying out of sources of sheep’s drinking water. For their protection from heat, sheep will need enough shade to be present, or created. And if sheep’s grazing pasture is in full heat of sun, it may be too dried out for them to get good nutrition, and/or sheep may not be able endure that strong heat long enough to eat enough pasture to stay fully-nourished. So, they may need supplementary food. Drought caused by hot weather may bring result of drying up of drinking water resources. And in much heat, sheep will be extra thirsty and will need constant supplies of fresh, and clean, drinking water. That water needs to be in the shade. Nights may be quite warm and so sheep may not be able to cool down from the heat of the day. Careful consideration needs to be given to when shearing of sheep takes place. Sheep should be shorn in advance of an anticipated hot weather period. A one-inch-thick fleece provides some relief because it disperses the heat while giving protection against sunburn of the skin. If possible, sheep should not be put in any type of tight group in hot weather. Disturbance and handling of sheep at hottest times of day should be avoided. It is obviously undesirable to keep sheep outdoors in holding pens for a long time in hot weather. Transportation of sheep should only occur at cool times. Hotter weather will render sheep more prone to illness and disease caused by insects, prominently fly-strike. 

All people who are responsible for sheep and their wellbeing need to consider, and act accordingly in relation to, global warming’s impacts on sheep. 

Now, the heat is on.