Most dairy cows are culled by age 5-6, well before their natural lifespan. Improving longevity through better welfare management benefits both cows and farm sustainability.
Short dairy cow longevity reflects high disease burdens that cause suffering and premature death. Cows culled for lameness or mastitis have experienced significant welfare harm before removal. Improving longevity requires addressing root causes — foot bathing and trimming programs for lameness, teat hygiene and mastitis protocols for udder health, body condition management for reproductive success. Farms with high longevity have better welfare outcomes across multiple indicators. Longevity is increasingly used as a welfare and sustainability metric in dairy certification.