A study in Bangladesh demonstrated how improving facilities for small-scale farmers, such as creating appropriate resting and movement areas for cows, can raise care standards and productivity.

By adopting Certified Humane® standards for facilities and environmental design, farms create spaces that prevent injuries, accidents, infections, and stress while providing dairy cows with the opportunity to engage in natural behaviors. The benefits extend beyond the cows – reduced costs and increased productivity are just a few advantages.

Farm Fresh® became Asia’s first dairy company to achieve international Certified Humane® certification. With high animal welfare standards, the company sets an example for other farms in the region.

Learn more about dairy cow welfare and how to prepare facilities and the environment in the full article below!

Facility Records and Injury Prevention

Keeping facility records updated and available for inspections and constant monitoring of critical resources benefits animal welfare. Key areas to track include:

• Total area available for the animals.
• Number of cubicles or resting area size.
• Maximum capacity based on age, weight, and space for feeding, watering, and resting.

Preventing injuries in facilities is also essential:

• There should be no physical features that could cause recurrent injuries to the cattle.
• Concrete floors must be well-maintained to prevent hoof issues.

Excessive scars, bruises, and injuries on soles, hooves, knees, udders, tails, and other areas indicate poor environmental conditions.

Corral Maintenance

Animal handling areas consist of pens designed for compassionate containment, suited to the category, environment, and number of animals. For areas where cows spend extended periods standing (feeding areas, milking parlors, and holding areas), rubber flooring is recommended.

Other tips:

• Handling pen floors should be non-slip or covered to reduce slipping risks.
• Floors should not be so abrasive as to damage hooves.
• Concrete floors should have grooves approximately 0.75–1.3 cm deep or be coated with non-slip material.
• Pens should be well-maintained and free from broken parts and sharp edges.

Animal Safety Measures

Several measures related to facility design and maintenance should be adopted, including:

Avoiding toxic substances in facilities:

• Cattle must not come into contact with toxic paints, wood preservatives, or disinfectants.
• Creosote (creoline) should not be used in areas where animals have direct contact with treated materials.

Electrical installations should be:

• Inaccessible to cattle.
• Well-insulated.
• Properly grounded.

Height and passage design:

• Facilities must be tall enough to allow cattle to exhibit normal behaviors.
• Corridors should be wide enough for two animals to pass freely.
• Corridors and passages must prevent dominant animals from cornering submissive or smaller ones.
• Farm pathways should be well-maintained and free of holes or cracks to protect cattle hooves.

Cleaning and Disinfection:

• Internal surfaces of housing and pens should be made of materials that can be cleaned and disinfected or easily replaced when necessary.

Download Standards for Dairy Cows

The largest skimmed milk powder factory in Asia not only impresses with its size but also represents a milestone in sustainable innovation. Built by Amul, India’s largest dairy cooperative, this facility integrates technologies that reduce energy and water consumption, demonstrating that sustainable milk production is a global priority.

Sustainable milk production offers a range of benefits that go far beyond building a good image: it also enhances the production chain and the quality of the final product, among other advantages. This is confirmed by cattle farmers who have adopted responsible milk production certified by the Certified Humane Program.

Want to learn more about the benefits of producing milk sustainably? Discover examples of those already reaping the rewards of animal welfare? And understand how this aligns with consumer concerns about sustainability?

Stay with us and find out!

Production Advantages

Responsible milk production generates advantages in the production chain itself, as proven by scientific studies and countless farmers who have adopted animal welfare standards—the best way to produce milk sustainably. These standards are designed to protect animals, the environment, and human health.

Here are some of the main advantages:

• Animal welfare improves both the quantity and quality of milk produced.
• Stressed, mistreated, or uncomfortable animals produce less milk.
• Healthy and well-managed cattle are less prone to diseases and accidents.
• Proper handling facilitates farm management, improves team working conditions, and minimizes risks of accidents involving animals.

Example 1: Guaraci Agropastoril

Located in Brazil, Guaraci Agropastoril is one of the companies already benefiting from sustainable milk production. Its three pillars are organic production, animal welfare, and low greenhouse gas emissions—values that earned it the Certified Humane animal welfare certification.

“We know that respecting animals, eliminating risk or stress factors, ensures better production with healthier animals. We pursued certification because animal welfare is part of the philosophical essence of our business,” says co-owner Luis Fernando Laranja da Fonseca.

Example 2: Colun

Colun was the first cooperative in Chile to achieve Certified Humane animal welfare certification for dairy cattle. This milestone is seen by its members as a key moment in the company’s development, enhancing care for animals and the quality of its final products.

Consumer Concerns

As today’s consumers demand sustainability, the best way to earn their trust is to prove your operations are sustainable. To do so, a company should provide detailed information about how food is produced, how animals are treated, and how environmental impacts are minimized.

→ Download the eBook “Standards for Dairy Cows” now!

One of the pillars of animal welfare is the appropriate management of each species, which also applies to the proper management of dairy cows.

According to Compassion in World Farming, in 2022, more than 92 billion animals were raised for food globally, and 280 million dairy cows produced 730 billion liters of milk.

Based on consumption trends observed in Asia, it is evident that consumers are becoming increasingly aware and demanding a higher standard regarding the products they purchase, especially concerning animal welfare and sustainability.

One example is from a recent report by Deloitte which highlighted that Indian consumers are becoming more value-conscious, prioritizing purchases that reflect their concerns about the environment, health, and animal welfare.

This shift in consumer behavior is directly linked to the growing awareness of the conditions in which animals are raised and the impact these practices have on both product quality and the environment.

As a result, companies that adopt proper management practices and ensure animal welfare not only meet an ethical demand but also position themselves more competitively in a market where consumer loyalty is increasingly influenced by these factors.

Furthermore, as reported by the Asia Food Journal, the food and beverage industry in Asia is undergoing a transformation with emerging trends reflecting a greater demand for healthy, safe, and ethically produced food.

Proper management of dairy cows preserves the health of the animals and allows them to exhibit their natural behaviors, keeping them calm and reducing injury and mortality rates.
Care for reproduction, herd health, and management, for example, makes all the difference.

Want to learn more about this topic and understand how to properly manage dairy cows? Keep reading!  

Reproductive care improves productive efficiency

The more positive the management of cows is during artificial insemination and the subsequent period, the more efficient the herd’s productivity becomes. 

Special attention should be given to the thermal environment of the cows’ housing, as excessive heat can increase embryonic losses and make estrus detection more difficult.

The quality of calf rearing also directly impacts the productive and reproductive performance of future cows.

Here are some important observations:

• 24 months is the recommended age for the first calving.
• The ideal average is one calf per year, or one calving every 12 months.
• Proper management requires placing the cow in a shaded paddock or maternity pen with free access to water and quality feed 30 days before calving.
• The dry period should average 60 days to prepare the mammary gland for milk production.

Management and human-animal interaction

In the proper management of dairy cows, animals should be handled calmly, without shouting or sudden movements, using techniques that respect natural behaviors and do not cause stress or injury.

Here are some welfare guidelines related to herd management:

• Animals should not be pulled or lifted by the tail, skin, ears, or limbs.
• Calves should only be moved when carried, led, or transported safely. Pulling or dragging them is prohibited.
• During calving, interference should occur only to assist in birth, and induced labor should not be used routinely.
• The umbilical cord of newborns should be immersed in an antiseptic solution.
• Animals unable to walk should be treated immediately.
• Marking with cuts, ear notching, or facial marking is prohibited, except for sanitary reasons required by a veterinarian.
• Dogs must be trained not to harm or distress cattle and must be controlled at all times. Dogs are prohibited in the milking parlor.

Management

Proper management of dairy cows cannot be implemented if farm management is not familiar with animal welfare standards and the specifics of each species. Therefore, it is essential to provide adequate training to all managers and staff, including:

• Training to identify and address the stress factors that dairy cows may face.
• Knowledge of the emergency action plan for procedures in cases of fire, drought, or flooding.
• Availability of herd records and quarantine and medication procedures for inspection by animal welfare certifiers.

Herd Health

Ensuring the health of dairy cows requires developing an Animal Health Plan (PSA), which should be regularly updated with veterinary guidance, and constantly monitoring the animals’ performance.

Measures include:

• Observing the occurrence of production diseases, infectious diseases, and injuries caused by inadequate housing or management.
• Treating animals suffering from diseases or injuries immediately and seeking veterinary assistance whenever necessary.
• Subjecting animals brought from other origins to a quarantine period.
• Inspecting and caring for hooves at least once a year.
• Evaluating and recording herd laminitis biannually.
• The removal of supernumerary teats should be performed before puberty, with the use of pain relief medication.
• Disbudding can be done up to 3 weeks of age, using cauterization and pain relief medication.
• Horn removal should be performed only by a veterinarian, using a sedative or local anesthesia and an anti-inflammatory.
• Tail docking is prohibited, but trimming the brush is allowed.
• The farm should be prepared to perform euthanasia if necessary, with the procedure carried out by a trained employee or a veterinarian, and the carcass disposal should comply with local regulations and requirements.

Learn more about best practices in animal production management!