Colostrum management is the single most important welfare intervention in the neonatal calf period, with adequate transfer of passive immunity preventing the majority of early life disease and mortality.
Failure of passive transfer sets calves up for a life of higher disease susceptibility, increased antibiotic use, and reduced welfare. The consequences of inadequate colostrum are not immediately apparent but manifest as higher rates of pneumonia, diarrhoea, and mortality in the weeks following birth. The management of colostrum quality and timing of administration is entirely within the farmer's control, making failure of passive transfer a preventable welfare problem. Simple interventions including colostrum quality testing and tube feeding protocols for calves that fail to suckle adequately protect calves from preventable suffering.