The average UK dairy cow is culled after only 2.5 lactations despite a natural lifespan of 20 years, and the welfare costs of early culling — primarily from preventable disease — are a major industry challenge.
Early dairy cow culling represents a systemic welfare failure: cows are culled primarily because of preventable diseases — lameness and mastitis — that are driven by the intensity of the production system. The chain of causation runs from housing design, stocking density, and feeding management through to disease development and culling. Improving longevity — which is a key welfare-positive outcome — requires addressing the root causes of lameness and mastitis at farm level. Herds achieving average culling ages of 6-7 lactations demonstrate that longevity and welfare are achievable alongside profitable production. Measuring and publicly reporting dairy herd longevity would provide a consumer-accessible welfare indicator that incentivises improvement.