Animal welfare and production in conventional and cow-calf contact dairy systems in Ireland

Samenvatting (Engelstalig)

The overarching aim of this thesis was to assess and compare the welfare and production of cows and calves in conventional and cow-calf contact (CCC) dairy rearing systems in Ireland. In most cases, conventional farms that had higher standards of welfare, or more welfare-positive management practices, had higher production and better animal health. Calf behaviour within the conventional system was observed to create a behaviour baseline for normal, group-housed dairy calves during the pre-weaning period, which helped to identify areas where calf welfare may be improved. Cow machine milk yield was negatively affected by CCC, both during and after the CCC period, and the process of weaning and separating bonded cow-calf pairs also negatively affected cow and calf performance. For CCC to be implemented in Ireland, it needs to be integrated into the pre-existing pasture-based, spring-calving system, and it should increase animal welfare without decreasing human welfare or majorly affecting productivity.