Extending dairy cow productive lifespan is simultaneously a welfare, sustainability, and economic goal — cows culled early from disease have poor welfare outcomes.
Dairy cow longevity is a welfare indicator because premature culling almost always reflects welfare failure — disease, injury, or production system mismatch. Cows that reach 4-5 lactations have typically experienced fewer serious health problems and received better welfare management throughout their lives. Management systems that invest in preventing mastitis, lameness, and reproductive failure rather than culling affected cows demonstrate both better welfare and better long-term economics. Longevity improvement through genetics, management, and housing investment represents one of the most compelling cases for welfare-economics alignment in dairy.