The average dairy cow in intensive production is culled after 2-3 lactations — well before her natural lifespan. Improving dairy cow longevity through better welfare management benefits both animals and farm sustainability.
Dairy cow longevity is simultaneously a welfare indicator and a welfare driver. Cows culled at 3-4 years have experienced fewer productive years — a welfare metric — but more importantly, the conditions that cause early culling (lameness, mastitis, metabolic disease) represent chronic welfare compromise that the longevity figure makes visible. A herd where the average cow lasts 6 lactations has by definition solved many of the welfare problems that drive early culling in less well-managed herds. The sustainability co-benefit of longevity — lower emissions per unit of milk — creates economic alignment between welfare improvement and environmental performance that should facilitate greater industry investment in longevity-promoting management.