Dairy cow longevity is a key welfare indicator - shorter productive lives reflect higher disease rates, reproductive failure and welfare problems that cause premature culling.
Short productive life in dairy cows is a welfare indicator that reflects the cumulative burden of disease, reproductive problems and physiological stress of high production. Farms with good longevity metrics have fundamentally better welfare environments. Breeding for longevity alongside production, improving housing and nutrition, and proactive health management all extend productive life while improving welfare throughout it.