Social welfare in dairy cows is a neglected but important dimension of overall wellbeing, encompassing bonding, hierarchy, spatial needs, and the impacts of management-driven regrouping.
Dairy management often disregards cow social needs in favor of production logistics. Frequent regrouping, isolating cows for calving or treatment, and competitive feeding situations all impose significant social stress. Progressive dairy farms are implementing changes that respect social welfare: minimizing regrouping events, providing sufficient feed barrier space, ensuring adequate lying space, and allowing cows to calve in small, stable groups. These changes improve welfare without major production costs and are increasingly supported by research and progressive farmer networks.