The Role of the bovine practitioner in cattle welfare

Abstract

If the bovine practitioner is to make a positive contribution to cattle welfare then he/she must have a clear understanding of what constitutes welfare as perceived by the cow, and where the main problems are likely to arise. Welfare can be defined by the ability of an animal to sustain fitness and avoid suffering. The high-yielding dairy cow is genetically fit at the onset of her first lactation but then faces physiological demands that are abnormal not in intensity, but in duration. Too many dairy cows culled after only 1-4 lactations are chronically lame or emaciated and appear to be "worn out" by sustained hard work. The main welfare problems for dairy cows in northern Europe can be attributed to systems of feeding, housing, milking and management that are unfitting to the genotype of the high yielding cow. New technologies for the control of breeding or the hormonal manipulation of lactation should be controlled by legislation that gives better protection not just to the veterinary profession but also to the animals. Cattle used for commerce should receive equal protection in the law to that given to animals used for scientific purposes. In each case any cost to the animal must be justified in terms of any potential benefit to society.