The milking process and milking frequency are significant welfare determinants for dairy cows. Udder health, milking duration, and human-animal interaction during milking all affect cow welfare outcomes.
Milking is a daily welfare-relevant event for every dairy cow. The human-animal relationship during milking has documented effects on cow stress physiology, milk let-down, and parlour throughput. Gentle stockmanship, avoiding shouting and rushing, produces measurable welfare and productivity benefits. Robotic milking systems that allow cows to choose when to be milked represent an advancement in cow autonomy, though they require careful management to ensure all cows are milked adequately. Mastitis prevention through excellent milking hygiene, equipment maintenance, and teat condition monitoring is fundamental to dairy cow welfare.