New Zealand's Dairy Sector Embraces Technology for Animal Wellbeing
The New Zealand dairy industry is increasingly prioritizing animal wellbeing as a vital component of its competitiveness. The Competitive Farm Systems – Frontier Farms project has highlighted that animal wellbeing is among the top five factors influencing the sector's future. This project, led by Lee Matheson fr om Perrin Ag and involving experts in animal welfare and farm systems, has developed a global typology framework to categorize farms based on eight shared characteristics. This framework facilitates the exploration of cow wellbeing across different farm systems, both domestically and internationally.
The study included countries like the United States, Ireland, and China, allowing for meaningful comparisons and identifying wh ere New Zealand's farms share common traits or differ. DairyNZ is also leveraging wearable technology to gain new insights into cow wellbeing, focusing on metrics such as milking frequency and its impact on 'free time' for cows, which is essential for their wellbeing.
A significant finding fr om the research is that highly controlled environments can have both positive and restrictive effects on cow wellbeing. For instance, while housed systems may offer temperature control and shelter, they can also lim it pasture access and movement, which are crucial for cow wellbeing. Understanding these trade-offs helps assess and improve cow wellbeing across different farming systems, including New Zealand's pasture-based systems.
DairyNZ is actively involved in developing practical tools to measure cow wellbeing, aiming to create a 'future-ready' tool that utilizes existing data without imposing additional burdens on farmers. This initiative is part of the Cow Quality of Life project, which is set to move into experimental trials in the upcoming summer.
Animal-based welfare indicators, such as body condition and rumen temperature, are being employed to assess how cows cope with their environment. These indicators, combined with data from wearable technologies, provide a comprehensive view of cow wellbeing across seasons, supporting transparency and confidence in New Zealand dairy products.
