Farm Animal Welfare

Cattle Welfare and Welfare Metrics

Developing robust welfare metrics for cattle enables consistent measurement and comparison across farms and systems. Understanding metrics supports better welfare monitoring and improvement.

Key Facts

Animal-based welfare metrics including lameness scores, body condition, and injury rates are most reliable
Outcome-based metrics are more informative than input-based resource measures
Standardised metrics enable benchmarking and comparison across farms
Technology is enabling automated collection of some welfare metrics at herd level
Welfare metrics are increasingly required by retailers and certification schemes

Welfare Considerations

Robust welfare metrics are the foundation of accountability in cattle welfare systems. Standardised, validated metrics enable benchmarking, progress tracking, and meaningful welfare claims.

What You Can Do

Support organisations developing validated cattle welfare metrics
Advocate for standardised welfare metrics to be required in cattle certification
Learn about animal-based welfare metrics and their advantages
Choose products from farms using standardised welfare monitoring