In today’s world, livestock production systems need to deliver a secure supply of food (locally and globally) with ever increasing competition for resources (land, water, feed/food, energy). As the competition for resources increases, the costs of production can increase and therefore farmers are challenged to improve efficiencies within their systems with both short and long-term sustainability in mind, trying to balance the profitability of the farming system while minimizing any negativity externalities of that production system (e.g., greenhouse gas emissions (GHG), animal welfare, land capability). As with the rest of society, livestock systems also need to consider potential climate change impacts in their longer term management options. Climate change is expected to have detrimental effects on milk yield and quality, fertility and health, putting further pressure on the sustainability of the sector and introducing new challenges for breeding goals and animal welfare. As climate change advances, indirect effects of weather on wider agricultural systems will become more important. An animal’s ability to ‘cope’ with extreme weather could be further compromised if climate change decreases the availability of these resources, as predicted. This would result in increased competition for the water and nutrients needed to maintain cows’ production and fitness. Therefore, incorporating longer-term challenges in our livestock breeding goals (e.g., climate resilience, optimizing production within farming system) is a crucial and timely goal. This paper takes an interdisciplinary approach to quantifying the potential output from livestock systems (dairy and beef) under projected climate change. This will be extended to breeding goals that optimize productivity and climate resilience while meeting GHG targets and wider goals for animal health and welfare. The results could be used to provide solutions to key challenges limiting the efficiency, productivity and sustainability of the livestock sectors.