High-yield dairy systems place enormous physiological demands on modern dairy cows, selected for milk production at the expense of health, longevity and natural behaviour, creating chronic welfare problems at scale.
High-yield dairy systems have created a welfare crisis that mirrors the broiler chicken situation: genetic selection for production traits has compromised health, longevity and quality of life. Lameness — a painful condition — is normalised as a feature of high-yielding herds rather than recognised as a welfare failure requiring systemic change. The annual separation of cow and calf, which distresses both animals, is a structural feature of dairy production that consumers are largely unaware of. Extending productive lifespan, reducing lameness prevalence and improving calf management are welfare priorities that simultaneously have economic benefits for farmers who implement them well.