Cattle are highly social animals with complex relationships, and disruption of social bonds through regrouping and housing changes causes significant welfare costs.
The social lives of dairy cows are more complex than traditionally recognised in farming practice. Cows have preferred partners they choose to lie near, groom, and move with. Disruption through frequent regrouping for management convenience imposes welfare costs that are often underestimated. Mixing unfamiliar cows, particularly around calving, creates competitive stress that suppresses immunity and feed intake at critical times. Stable grouping strategies that minimise regrouping frequency have demonstrated welfare and productivity benefits. Recognising cattle as social beings with meaningful relationships is fundamental to modern welfare-conscious dairy farming.