Research Reports

A Farm Sanctuary Research Report:
The Welfare of Cattle in Dairy Production

For a full copy of the report, please call 607-583-2225 or email info@farmsanctuary.org or click here to download a PDF.

The dairy industry's promotional images depicting happy cows whiling away their time in shaded pastures couldn't be further from the reality of dairy production in the United States today.

Farm Sanctuary has released a new research report, "The Welfare of Cattle in Dairy Production," a summary of scientific evidence that exposes and evaluates common practices in the dairy industry.

Key findings in the report have shown an increased focus on intensive milk production per cow that has led to a mass decline in the welfare of cattle used in dairy operations. This report reveals that trends are falling further in-line with profit motive, leaving little to no regard for the welfare of the animals that are forced to live out their short lives within this industry. While scientists in Europe have led the way to studying how to improve dairy cow welfare, U.S. scientists have led the way in researching milk production efficiency.

Today, three out of four dairy cows in the United State never graze in pasture, and a significant proportion is not provided routine access of any kind to the outdoors. Those who are housed outside are usually confined in crowded, barren dirt lots.

Since 1991, the number of total U.S. dairies has dropped 55%, while the number of dairies with a herd of 100 or more cows has increased 94%. Every year, more dairy cattle in the U.S. are raised on large corporate operations, or "mega-dairies," that employ factory-farming techniques. In fact, plans have been announced to build the West's largest dairy, housing 90,000 cows on 2,000 acres in southern California's Mojave Desert. Consolidation of the U.S. dairy industry is being accomplished by increasing the amount of milk produced by each cow while reducing the costs of caring for the animals.

Today's dairy cows in the U.S. produce milk volumes that are two-thirds greater than those demanded of animals 30 years ago and 10 times more than they would produce in nature. The dairy industry has managed to continually increase milk yield per cow by a variety of methods, including the manipulation of dairy cow nutrition, milking procedures, growth hormones, antibiotics, lighting periods, reproduction and genetic selection. Today, dairy cows are sent to slaughter after only three to four lactation cycles, when disease develops or milk production decreases. A dairy cow's average life expectancy, should she be allowed to thrive in a healthy environment, would be in excess of 20 years.

This report also examines husbandry practices which include feeding, surfaces and lameness, housing, environmental conditions, surgical mutilations, handling practices, downed cows and calf rearing.

Additional key findings include:

• Tail docking, the practice of severing a cow's tail for the convenience of dairy workers in parallel milking parlors, has increased over the past ten years, despite the fact that the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) has denounced the procedure.
• Nearly one in four dairy cows suffers from mastitis, an infected, (sometimes hugely) enlarged udder. Mastitis is a result of many factors, including the overuse of bovine growth hormone (BGH), administered to dairy cattle to stimulate milk production. One study indicated that cows injected with BGH suffered a 34-76% increase in incidences of mastitis.
• Improper bedding and housing for dairy cows contributes to a startlingly high rate of lameness in dairy cattle. Most cattle confined indoors in the U.S. are kept on concrete. One study showed that over 80% of cows exposed to concrete flooring suffered from at least one hoof disorder.
• Dairy cattle account for the largest percentage of "downed animals," farmed animals too sick or injured to walk on their own. USDA and industry estimates put the number of downed cattle in the U.S. at 195,000 annually, with 75% of those being dairy cattle. Similarly, in a study of downed animals by the California Department of Food and Agriculture, 91% of downers at California non-fed slaughterhouses were dairy cows.
• Most calves of dairy cows in the U.S. are separated immediately at birth, without nursing. Most female calves are used as replacements for "spent" dairy cows sent to slaughter, while male calves are slaughtered for "bob veal" shortly after birth; tethered and confined at special-feeding operations and slaughtered at 4-5 months for "veal;" or raised at a feedlot and slaughtered at 13-14 months for "beef."