Zero-grazing or indoor confinement systems for dairy cattle keep cows permanently indoors year-round, preventing natural grazing behavior and raising significant welfare concerns despite potential productivity advantages.
Zero-grazing systems impose significant welfare costs on dairy cattle by denying them one of their most strongly motivated natural behaviors. Grazing is not merely feeding — it involves locomotion, social behavior, environmental exploration, and exposure to sunlight and fresh air that cows clearly value highly. The higher lameness rates in permanently housed cattle cause chronic pain that is often inadequately treated. While zero-grazing systems offer advantages in feed efficiency and climate control, the welfare trade-offs are substantial and well-documented in the scientific literature.