India has the world's largest dairy industry with over 300 million cattle and buffalo — and endemic welfare challenges at a scale that dwarfs any other country.
The welfare of dairy animals in India is shaped by the intersection of deep cultural attachment to cattle, economic necessity, and systemic governance challenges. Cows hold sacred status in Hindu tradition, but this rarely translates to welfare practice for male calves or elderly cows. Water buffalo — the dominant dairy animal in India — receive even less welfare consideration. The informal nature of much Indian dairying makes any regulatory approach difficult, but NGOs like the Humane Society International India and FIAPO are developing producer training programmes that demonstrate welfare improvement is achievable within practical constraints.