Commercial dairy cows are typically culled by age 5-6 despite a natural lifespan of 20+ years — a dramatic welfare and sustainability problem driven by intensive production demands.
The economics of intensive dairy production incentivise maximum milk yield at minimum cost, which drives selection for physiological extremes that shorten cows lives. Cows that produce 15,000 litres per lactation are metabolically challenged to the point of chronic ketosis, lameness from energy imbalance, and reproductive failure. Their bodies simply cannot sustain the production demand indefinitely. Longevity-focused systems — which prize cows that remain productive and healthy over many years — produce less milk per cow but far less suffering and lower environmental footprint per litre.