Water buffalo provide milk, meat, and draft power across South and Southeast Asia under widely varying welfare conditions ranging from traditional extensive systems to intensive dairying.
Water buffalo welfare varies enormously between systems. Traditional draft systems in which buffalo are used seasonally for paddy work, kept with access to wallowing ponds, and managed at low intensity provide relatively good welfare. Intensive dairy systems in which buffalo are permanently tethered on concrete with no access to wallowing cause multiple welfare problems: heat stress from lack of water immersion, lameness from hard flooring, and maternal separation distress. European mozzarella di bufala production relies on Italian buffalo farms that operate under EU animal welfare standards superior to most Asian systems. Transparency in supply chains and welfare labelling would enable consumers to distinguish between system types.