Dairy cows face significant welfare challenges including mastitis, lameness, repeat pregnancies, and calf separation. This page examines the evidence and reform options.
Dairy cow welfare encompasses a range of chronic health and behavioral welfare problems. Mastitis, caused by bacterial infection of the udder, is the most costly disease in dairy farming and a significant source of cow suffering. Lameness — caused by laminitis, sole ulcers, and white line disease — affects a substantial proportion of dairy cows at any one time and causes chronic pain. Both conditions are strongly associated with housing systems, nutrition management, and cow comfort. High milk yields increase the risk of negative energy balance (where the cow cannot eat enough to meet milk production demands), causing a cascade of metabolic disorders. Good dairy cow welfare requires attention to nutrition, housing, health monitoring, and cow-calf management.