Doctoral student Birgitta Staaf Larsson from SLU is leading a project that analyzes how animal welfare in dairy cows is monitored—and how it can be improved.
To safeguard the welfare of Sweden’s approximately 300,000 dairy cows, regular welfare inspections are carried out. Since 2009, the responsibility has rested with the County Administrative Boards, which use the Swedish Board of Agriculture’s checklists. However, new research shows that today’s inspections do not always provide a complete picture of the animals’ actual well-being.
At present, inspections focus mainly on external conditions such as space, cleanliness, management routines, and body condition. But according to researchers, more attention should be given to the cows themselves as the ultimate measure of welfare—not just their surroundings. In her project, Birgitta Staaf Larsson studied how different professional groups assess cows’ condition and concluded that experience, training, and professional role all play a part. Students often make stricter assessments than veterinarians or inspectors, suggesting that years of fieldwork can lead to a certain “hardening.”
A key challenge is that inspections are often reduced to a simple yes/no system. While this works for clear criteria such as space requirements, it falls short for more nuanced issues like cleanliness, body condition, or behavior. For this reason, researchers recommend that future inspections place greater emphasis on animal-based measures.
Such measures might include whether cows can lie down calmly, whether they have sufficient access to water, and whether they are kept in good thermal comfort. Water is especially critical for dairy cows, as inadequate intake directly affects both feed consumption and milk production. The project has tested new methods, including measuring water balance through milk analysis.
The research also highlights the potential of technological development. Modern milking robots already collect large amounts of data on each cow, and future systems may be able to automatically detect signs of dehydration or poor welfare.
Overall, the project shows that while Sweden already maintains a high standard of animal welfare, it could be further strengthened through more detailed, cow-focused inspections—with the animals themselves as the ultimate benchmark.
Read more about the project HERE