Increasing the productive lifespan of dairy cows improves both their welfare and farm sustainability by reducing the proportion of cows culled at peak productive age.
Short productive life reflects poor welfare: the conditions that cause early culling, particularly lameness and mastitis, involve chronic pain and suffering before the animal reaches slaughter. Farms that prioritize hoof health, reduce transition cow stress, and use genomics to select for health traits achieve both longer lifespans and better welfare. Consumer and retailer pressure for sustainability increasingly aligns with welfare by demanding longer cow longevity as a sustainability metric.