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Dairy cow culling – Best practices and industry trends
We all know that the best time to find a new career is while you still have your current one. And every dairy farmer should know that every dairy cow should have 2 careers, a MILK cow and a BEEF cow. While the proportion of animals sent to slaughter unfit for transport is extremely low, considering the number of cows slaughtered every year, the number of cows shipped that are unfit for transport becomes a significant welfare concern. There have been significant efforts on the part of the beef industry in the form of the Beef Quality Assurance programs to address the issue, yet there seems to remain a gap in performance in the dairy sector when it comes to dairy cattle condition at slaughter. The underlying cause of this gap is multifactorial and the key to the solution is understanding the fundamental disconnect between dairy farmers and the beef supply chain. If progress is going to be made we must first understand the drivers at the farm level. Milk price, milk production, feed cost and cull cow prices appear to be the primary drivers. Additional drivers include an apparent disconnect between the processor and the supplier and language barriers. Stakeholder engagement from farm to plant is essential to bridge the gap and improve the welfare of cattle sent to slaughter. Once the bridge is built, education, training and accountability will be the necessary drivers to secure change needed to demonstrate to consumers and customers alike that the welfare of cattle continues to be an industry priority.
Keywords: Dairy, cull, welfare