Dairy farming has been a part of farming for a very long time. Dairy cows are raised so that they can produce a lot of milk.
Dairy cows have to have one calf every year so that they can produce milk for 10 months of the year. They're artificially inseminated three months after birth.
Dairy cows can usually only make a lot of milk for about three years. After that, they are usually killed, and their meat is used to make beef.
world-wide production of milk
There are about 270 million cows that are used for milk production all over the world. The European Union is the world's largest producer of milk and is home to over 23 million dairy cows. This number is in comparison to 10 million in North America and over 6 million in both Australia and New Zealand combined. Milk production is also on the rise in Southeast Asia, including in nations that are not historically known for their milk consumption, such as China, which today has over 12 million cows producing milk. Milk production is on the rise in Southeast Asia as well.
The rise of intensive dairy farming has led to an increase in the number of welfare issues that dairy cows face.
Dairy cows and their problems
In intensive dairy farms, confinement in indoor living causes health issues from greater milk output and anguish from early calves' separation.
Laziness, mastitis, and infertility
Lameness hurts and is a big problem for the welfare of dairy cows all over the world. Cows can get lame from bacterial infections that cause hoof lesions, sole ulcers, laminitis, and digital dermatitis, among other things. These conditions can be caused by floors that aren't well made, feet that aren't properly trimmed, bad nutrition, and standing on concrete floors for long periods of time.
MORE MILK PRODUCTION
In the last fifty years, dairy farming has become more complicated so that each cow can make more milk. The most common type of dairy cow in the UK, Europe, and the US is the Holstein-Friesian, which has been bred to produce a lot of milk. In the past 40 years, the amount of milk each cow makes has grown by more than 100%. In the UK, cows usually give birth to an average of 22 liters of milk per day, but at their peak, some cows can give birth to up to 60 liters. Even more, the average yield in the US is over 30 liters per day. Cows may live 20 years or more if they are healthy. After three or four lactations, high-yielding dairy cows are usually destroyed due to declining milk output, lameness, or infertility.
A poorly fed cow with hooves that are too big
Mastitis, which is a painful inflammation of the udder, is caused by a common bacterial infection in dairy cows. In the UK, a herd of 100 cows could have up to 70 cases of mastitis every year on average. Bacteria that cause mastitis can get into a cow's udder through contaminated milking equipment or bedding. Because of this, cows that are kept inside for a long time are more likely to get mastitis than cows that are kept on pasture.
Farmers with high-yielding dairy cows have a hard time making money because their cows can't have babies. It can be caused by not getting enough food, being stressed out, or not taking care of your body, so it is often a sign of poor welfare.
Building
Most dairy cows will spend some or all of the year inside. When cows are indoors, they don't have as many chances to act naturally and get exercise as when they are on pasture. However, cows may need to be housed indoors when the weather is bad. For good welfare, housing needs to be well-designed and well-run. When there are too many people, not enough air flow, and a lot of humidity, there are more injuries and diseases.
Cows need to rest a lot, especially when they are lactating, and they need a soft place to lie down. Cows are more likely to get mastitis if they are kept on concrete floors without enough bedding or in housing with bad cubicles. Hard floors are also more painful for lame cows to stand and walk on, and if the floors are wet from cow poop, cows may slip and hurt themselves.
GRAZING
Cows need to be able to get to a large pasture where they can graze. This is important for their physical and mental health, as well as their ability to do things that come naturally to them. Most dairy cows in the UK still get to graze on pasture during the day in the summer, but more cows are being kept inside for longer periods of time or even all year round. This is called "zero grazing," and it is used more and more around the world for large, high-yield herds.
Nutrition
Cattle, which are ruminants, need lots of fiber since they naturally graze. High-yielding dairy cows are given more concentrates and less pasture because they need more nutrients. This produces acidity in the rumen (part of the stomach) if it continues daily. Acidosis causes diarrhea and laminitis in cows (damage to the feet that causes lameness).
Organic cows graze on grass and eat more fiber.
To boost milk production, many US dairy cows receive rBST injections. This is illegal under EU law.
Milking cows
Dairy cows with health issues or low productivity may be transported vast distances to be killed. Few slaughterhouses accept wasted dairy cows.
Dairy calves are in "surplus."
Calves naturally nurse for a year and bond with their moms for years. Commercial dairy farms remove most calves from their mothers within hours of delivery. This traumatizes the cow and calf and affects their physical and social development.
Most female calves will be reared to join the milking herd, but as male calves cannot give milk, they are considered surplus to the dairy business. Male calves will either be shot after birth or sold to be bred for veal or meat.
Calves destined for the meat business may be shipped or driven for days to raising facilities in other nations. Transporting week-old calves is difficult. At this age, they are hungry, exhausted, be shipped or driven for days to raising facilities in other nations. Transporting week-old calves is difficult. At this age, they are hungry, exhausted, scared, and susceptible to sickness and harm.
Since Compassion in World Farming, the RSPCA, and the dairy industry formed the Calf Stakeholder Forum, more male dairy calves are raised for meat and fewer are slain at birth. 95,000 UK-born people are shot annually. British rose veal is better for calf welfare than imported white veal, and output has increased.
Safer Lifestyle for Milk Cows
Cows should have year-round pasture access and the option to go outdoors or remain inside. Cows need room to socialize and good housing. Cows need straw bedding to rest comfortably and cleanly. Avoid unhealthy breeds and eat plenty of fiber. Dairy cows benefit from certain systems.
Organisms
EU organic requirements guarantee that dairy cows have access to pasture throughout the grazing season and are given a more natural diet with ample roughage for digestive health. To minimize lameness, mastitis, and fertility, they promote dairy cow welfare and breeding.
Soil Association organic guidelines say that calves under one month old can't be exported or sold at market (unless they are with their mother) before they are 12 weeks old. They also say that farmers should try to stop male calves from dying on the day they are born.
PASTURE-BASED
Traditional, smaller dairy farms still graze cows throughout the grazing season. The US Animal Welfare Institute's "Animal Welfare Approved Standards" require dairy cows to have pasture access. Certified humane dairy standards discourage indoor dairy systems and encourage dairy cows to graze on pasture to satisfy their nutritional needs.
