The average dairy cow in intensive systems is culled before reaching her fourth lactation. Improving longevity is both a welfare and sustainability goal with significant practical benefits.
Low dairy cow longevity is both a welfare symptom and a welfare cause. Cows that experience repeated bouts of lameness, mastitis, and metabolic disease suffer considerably — and these same conditions are the primary drivers of early culling. A system in which animals are routinely replaced before middle age because they cannot sustain the physiological demands of high-intensity production reflects underlying welfare compromises. Improving longevity requires addressing root causes: genetic selection that balances milk yield with functional traits including feet and legs, udder health, and fertility; transition cow nutrition that prevents energy deficit and ketosis; housing that minimises lameness; mastitis prevention programmes; and careful reproductive management. Farms that achieve high longevity demonstrate that welfare and economics align: older cows are more productive per lifetime unit of input, generate less replacement cost, and contribute to herd stability. Consumer and policy interest in dairy cow welfare should focus on longevity as a key metric alongside lameness and mastitis prevalence.