Stray voltage from electrical faults in dairy housing causes pain, aversion, and behavioural changes in cattle that significantly affect welfare and have been linked to reduced milk yield and health problems.
Cows experiencing stray voltage face repeated electric shocks during normal activities like drinking, feeding, and milking. This causes pain, learned aversion to essential resources (leading to dehydration or reduced feed intake), and chronic stress from anticipation of shocks. The welfare impact can be severe while appearing as a production mystery. Diagnosis and remediation directly eliminate the cause of pain.