Zero-grazing systems confine dairy cows indoors year-round without pasture access, raising significant welfare concerns about mobility, natural behavior expression, and physical health.
The evidence that cattle are highly motivated for pasture access and that confinement impairs both physical and psychological welfare is now substantial. Cows in zero-grazing systems cannot perform natural grazing locomotion, cannot access soft ground that reduces hoof wear, and are deprived of the behavioral variety that pasture provides. Chronic lameness and reduced lying time are documented consequences. Where geography and climate allow, providing meaningful pasture access represents one of the highest-impact welfare improvements available to dairy producers, addressing multiple welfare domains simultaneously.