Farm Animal Welfare

Cattle Feed Efficiency and Welfare

Feed efficiency in cattle production has welfare implications through its influence on feeding behaviour, satiety and body condition.

Key Facts

Residual feed intake (RFI) measures efficiency beyond what growth and maintenance require
Low RFI cattle may have different feeding behaviour patterns that affect welfare
Competition at feeders in efficient animals may differ from less efficient herd mates
Body condition management is affected by individual feed efficiency variation in herds
Genetic selection for feed efficiency requires parallel assessment of welfare-relevant traits

Welfare Considerations

Feed efficiency genetic selection requires welfare assessment of behavioural and physiological changes associated with high efficiency to ensure efficiency gains do not come at welfare cost. Monitoring welfare indicators in high-efficiency genetics is important.

What You Can Do

Support research investigating welfare implications of feed efficiency genetic selection
Advocate for welfare trait monitoring alongside production trait selection in cattle breeding
Engage with cattle genetics companies about welfare assessment in efficiency selection programmes