Modern dairy cows are culled at a young age due to reproductive failure, mastitis, and lameness. Extending cow longevity improves welfare and reduces the environmental footprint of dairy farming.
Dairy cows are bred for extremely high milk yields that place enormous physiological strain on their bodies, making them vulnerable to metabolic disease, lameness, and reproductive problems. Most are culled before they would naturally decline — not because of age but because intensive production has broken their bodies. This is a welfare failure: chronic lameness, repeated mastitis infections, and metabolic disorders cause persistent pain and distress. Breeding for longevity, reducing yield targets, improving housing, and investing in preventive veterinary care can extend cow productive lives, improving welfare while also reducing the continuous cycle of calving and culling.