The average dairy cow in intensive systems is culled after only 2-3 lactations — a fraction of her potential lifespan — due to production-related diseases and metabolic disorders that reflect the unsustainability of high-output dairy at the expense of animal health.
The short lives of dairy cows in intensive production systems are not an inevitable consequence of dairy farming but a chosen outcome of breeding programs that prioritise peak milk output over health and longevity. Every year of productive life that a dairy cow loses to lameness, mastitis, or metabolic disease is a year of welfare compromise and economic waste. The alignment between welfare improvement and longevity creates a rare opportunity where the interests of producers, consumers, and animals point in the same direction — but only if the production system is designed to value long-term health over short-term yield.