The UK Dairy Cow Welfare Strategy 2023-2028 is an industry-led strategy, produced by Ruminant Health & Welfare, launched in 2023.
Being able to show progress is key to the UK maintaining its status as a global leader in dairy cattle welfare, and potentially being able to differentiate our products from those produced in other countries.
This is why the review of progress report from the first two years of the strategy is now available to view. The report, published by the strategy’s working group – who include farmers, vets, and representatives from government, supply chains and research organisations shows progress against the below goals:
The six strategic goals for dairy cattle welfare are:
- Thriving cows – ensuring all dairy animals are bred and reared to live a long life
- Healthy feet – ensuring a proactive lameness management plan is in place on every UK dairy farm
- Comfortable cows – maximising cow comfort in housing and at pasture
- Appropriately nourished cows – ensuring a healthy body condition throughout the year
- Healthy udders – continued improvements to udder health to reduce cases of mastitis
- Positive welfare – moving towards ‘positive welfare’ by providing an environment that allows animals to exhibit normal behaviours such as curiosity or play.
