Decision-Making Regarding On-Farm Culling Methods for Dairy Cows Related to Cow Welfare, Sustainable Beef Production, and Farm Economics

TL;DR

Dairy farmers face complex decisions when culling cows, balancing animal welfare, farm economics, and sustainable beef production.

Contribution

The study identifies how regulations and stakeholder interests influence dairy farmers' culling decisions in the Netherlands.

Findings

Strict enforcement of livestock transport regulations limits on-farm culling options.

Restrictive conditions for on-farm emergency slaughter negatively impact cow welfare and meat salvage.

Culling decisions involve conflicting interests like animal welfare, food safety, and economic concerns.

Abstract

Decision-making regarding the on-farm culling of dairy cows is complex. Dairy farmers can choose from various methods, such as prolonged veterinary treatment, regular transport to a slaughterhouse, on-farm emergency slaughter, or euthanasia on the farm. The results of this study demonstrate that different regulations and various factors can influence individual dairy farmers’ decision-making processes, including their preferences and eventual choice of culling methods. Considerations regarding culling methods often reveal conflicting interests, such as farm economics, animal welfare, and sustainable beef production. Understanding the factors that influence decision-making in this context enables stakeholders—such as governments, the dairy and meat industries, cattle traders, and private veterinary practitioners—to develop tools that address these competing interests and provide more targeted support to dairy farmers in their decision-making.

In the Netherlands, around 52,000 dairy cows die on the primary farm each year due to natural death, euthanasia, or on-farm emergency slaughter (OFES). The decision as to what is the best option is made by the farmer, often after consulting a veterinarian, a livestock trader, or a slaughterhouse operator. To determine which factors play a role in this decision-making process, semi-structured interviews were conducted with dairy farmers, private veterinary practitioners, livestock traders, and slaughterhouse operators in the Netherlands. Dairy cattle culling decisions are influenced and limited by strict enforcement of livestock transport regulations and limited options for on-farm killing methods. Requirements regarding mortality rates imposed by the dairy industry and private quality labels for raw milk also influence culling decisions in the Netherlands. Most participants stated that restrictive conditions regarding OFES and mobile slaughterhouses (MSHs) appear to have (unintended) negative effects on cow welfare and meat salvage in general. Different interests, such as cow welfare, food safety, economic concerns of various stakeholders, the reputational interests of the dairy and beef industries, and sustainability objectives such as meat salvage can be conflictive. The results of this study show that the decision-making process regarding culling or (prolonged) veterinary treatment of dairy cattle is complex because various factors, interests, and uncertainties must be weighed. This weighing can vary between individual dairy farms and individual dairy farmers.

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