Rumen acidosis from high-concentrate diets causes chronic welfare harm in dairy cows, with nutritional management strategies that maintain rumen health while supporting production needs.
Rumen health welfare is chronically under-recognised: SARA produces no dramatic clinical signs but affects nearly half of dairy cows in intensive systems with high-concentrate diets. The welfare consequences — chronic discomfort, immune suppression, laminitis predisposition, and reduced longevity — accumulate across the production life. Nutritional management that maintains appropriate fibre levels, transition period nutrition, and rumen buffer provision reduces SARA prevalence without compromising production. The welfare and production case for better rumen nutrition management are aligned.