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The purpose of this study was to identify and describe strategies used by European dairy farmers with cow-calf contact (CCC) systems. Farms allowing at least 7 days CCC in Austria, France, Germany, Italy, Poland, Sweden and Switzerland were interviewed between September 2018 and January 2019 following a standardised questionnaire. In total, 104 interviews were included in the analysis; no CCC farms were identified in Poland. Average herd size was 53±59 (mean ± SD) cows. Dam rearing was practiced on 34% of farms, while 12% used foster cows, 28% used a mix of dam and foster cows and 23% first let the calves suckle their dam and then manually milk fed them. On 46% of farms, the calves had full day contact (except at milking), while 5% practiced half day CCC and 36% let the calves suckle at milking. Farmers perceived several benefits with keeping cow and calf together, including improved overall health (79% of farms) and weight gains (84%) in calves. Udder health in suckled cows was most often perceived as the same (40% of farms) or improved (38%) as in systems with early separation. Common drivers for using CCC systems were improved calf health, more natural farming system and increased labour efficiency. The most commonly stated barrier for implementing CCC was barn construction, while stress responses when separating cows and calves were observed by many farmers (87% of farms). The study suggests that there is a range of different strategies allowing CCC used on European farms, and identifies research regarding suitable housing during the suckling period and routines for cow-calf separation as key.

During the pre-slaughter period cattle experience novel environment and procedures causing reduced welfare and stress. This period involves a number of critical situations: loading, transport, unloading, meeting unfamiliar animals, fixation. Therefore, stress is an inevitable consequence of transporting animals from a farm to the abattoir. In Switzerland, the first farmer recently started with a stress reducing cattle slaughter method within a pilot project: the slaughtering via gunshot on farm. Only the carcass has to be transported. Usually direct marketing farmers are transporting single animals to the next small-scale slaughterhouse. Therefore those two slaughter methods were compared regarding stress related parameters. Slaughtering always took place during the same daytime and with animals of the same breed and similar ages. Behavioral observations took place right before slaughter. Exsanguination blood samples were analyzed for cortisol. Animals slaughtered on farm had a mean cortisol concentration of 0.75 μg/dl, animals transported to a small slaughter house differed significantly with a mean cortisol concentration of 4.77 μg/dl. Differences in behavior could as well be observed.

The objectives of this study were to examine influences of farm and herd factors on the health status of Swiss organic dairy cattle and to evaluate if an existing estimation tool is suitable to express impacts of not-site-related breeding on herd health and reproduction indicators in 72 organic dairy farms with low concentrate feeding. Farm and herd factors were body condition scores, milk recording data, and farm management characteristics. Data from an existing estimation tool to describe farm and cow ‘types’ and the site-relatedness of breeding was also included. Health status was assesses by herd means of calving interval, fat-to-protein ratio, somatic cell score, veterinary treatments, culling rate, and number of lactation. A relation between the site-relatedness of cow type and calving interval was found. Further factors influencing the herd health status were mainly related to feeding. Also cow type factors had an effect, which is why strategies for improving animal health should include both feeding and breeding practices and consider sight-relatedness of breeding.

Farms keeping suckler cows often face the problem of wild behaviour of their animals. Especially loose-housing and grazing systems with low management input cause frail relationships between humans and animals.