Heat stress adaptations in pigs

In summary, heat stress compromises a variety of production parameters in the swine industry including growth, carcass composition, and reproduction. Evidence suggests that maternal exposure to heat stress has long-lasting effects on postnatal offspring performance. The combination of climate change forecasts increased pork production in tropical and subtropical regions of the globe and improved genetic capacity for lean tissue accretion and fecundity, all point to increasingly negative impacts of heat stress on pork production efficiency and quality in the future. Physically modifying the environment is currently the primary abatement strategy that should be utilized to mitigate the negative effects of heat stress, but other approaches include dietary modifications and genetic improvement.