Copper deficiency in cattle causes multiple welfare-relevant conditions including depigmentation, poor immunity, reproductive failure, and neurological disease in severely deficient calves.
Copper-deficient cattle experience reduced immune function, making them more susceptible to infectious disease and its associated welfare harms. Enzootic ataxia in severely deficient calves is a severe welfare condition, causing inability to walk, loss of motor control, and ultimately death in affected animals. The neurological damage from copper deficiency during pregnancy may be irreversible, condemning affected calves to a life of severe disability. Poor growth and condition from copper deficiency represents ongoing welfare compromise from suboptimal physiological function. Reproductive failure from copper deficiency causes welfare harm through poor pregnancy outcomes and weak neonates.