Page 312 - The Welfare of Cattle

ChaPter 25

Dairy Cow Welfare and herd turnover rates

Donald J. Klingborg
University of California

CONteNtS

Introduction ....................................................................................................................................289
Cow Welfare and Today’s Dairy Production System .....................................................................290
Cow Longevity ...............................................................................................................................292
Turnover Rates, Animal Health, and Welfare ................................................................................293
Reasons for Removals ....................................................................................................................297
Conclusions ....................................................................................................................................302
Summary ........................................................................................................................................303
Final Thoughts ...............................................................................................................................303
Acknowledgments ..........................................................................................................................304
References ......................................................................................................................................304

INtrODUCtION

Society has a major role to play in how the welfare of animals is valued as a direct result of their
market decisions about which product to purchase, and through their collective effort at influencing
social, legislative, and moral standards. Healthy markets and society rely on consumers making
their choices based on factual information rather than being influenced by fads, marketing, and
special interest promotions.
Cattle have been an important part of the human experience for over 6,000 years based on
attested evidence of their domestication. Across those years thousands of cattle generations have
been selectively bred to create our dairy and beef breeds by influencing their size, growth rate,
reproduction, disposition, diet, tendency to panic, and social structure. 1
Today’s cattle are very different than their wild ancestors, and they are still sentient beings wor-
thy of our respect and thoughtful consideration. They should be provided access to water, nutrition
able to support their metabolic needs, and an environment appropriate to their care, use, and wel-
fare. They should be afforded consideration for their safety, health and species-specific biological
needs and most of their behavioral natures. They should also be cared for in ways that minimize
fear, distress, pain, and suffering. 2
Most of the information presented in this chapter intentionally draws from larger multiyear stud-
ies from neutral and authoritative sources and published in peer-reviewed journals or from USDA
published data.

289