welfare

The dairy heifers trained with positive reinforcement showed more anticipatory behaviours in the start box than the control group. Photo: Canva
26-03-2024 | News

Reducing dairy cow stress with positive reinforcement

The trial looks at keeping the cow and calf together for three months. Photos: Dr Sivan Lacker
04-03-2024 | News

Israeli project examines benefits of keeping calves for longer with mothers

In their study published in the Journal of Dairy Science, researchers found that measuring non-verbal communication (in addition to common verbal communication) between vets and farmers during routine herd health consultations, is key to unlocking barriers for adopting biosecurity measures. Photo: Van Assendelft Fotografie
12-02-2024 | Article

Drivers and barriers in disease control and welfare in dairy

When evaluating the comfort of the lying area, there are several things to look out for. There may be cases where the resting area may not always be optimal. The main goal is always to have enough space so all the animals can lie comfortably at the same time. Photo: Canva
19-12-2023 | Expert opinion

What makes a good lying area for dairy cattle?

A first step in evaluating the effects of cow-calf on lactation milk yield is to provide accurate estimates of the total amount of milk that the cow produces. Photo: Canva
24-10-2023 | Article

How much saleable milk is lost in a cow-calf contact system?

In the EU - some nations have domestic legal requirements for dairy cattle welfare, while in others it is left to industry standards or niche production requirements that are linked to various premium labels. Photo: Mark Pasveer
16-10-2023 | News

Comparing dairy cow welfare standards across Europe

Six strategic goals have been set by dairy farmers, vets and industry professionals across the whole supply chain in the new UK Dairy Cattle Welfare Strategy, which runs until 2028. One goal includes: Thriving Cows – ensuring all dairy animals are bred, reared and cared for to thrive in all systems. Photo: Canva
21-06-2023 | News

New 5-year dairy welfare strategy for UK milk producers

Investing in PLF techniques determines positive effects on all/almost all the criteria adopted for the sustainability indicators, with case-specific aspects to consider. Photo: Jan Willem van Vliet
10-05-2023 | News

Sustainable dairy: precision livestock farming’s effects

Dr Alison Van Eenennaam, a geneticist at University of California at Davis used gene editing a few years ago to create a bull calf (named Cosmo). Photo: Dr Alison Van Eenennaam
25-04-2023 | Article

Genetic progress in cattle: a global overview

“With the tags, I don’t have to watch the cows all the time, and being alerted to a calving or mastitis means I can take action sooner and head off a potential problem,” says dairy farmer Vaughan Davies. Photo: Jan Willem Vliet
11-04-2023 | News

Technology to improve cow welfare during calving