RESEARCH PROJECT
Reduced dairy cow mortality for improved animal welfare and sustainability
Updated: June 2025
Project overview
Project start:
August 2023
Ending:
July 2026
Project manager:
Karin Alvåsen
Funded by:
Stiftelsen Lantbruksforskning (SLF)
Participants
Short summary
A high rate of on-farm deaths and euthanized cows is an indication of poor animal welfare, leads to economic losses for farmers and is not compatible with sustainable food production.
The mortality rate of Swedish dairy cows is high from an international perspective and efforts are needed to address the problem. In this project, we therefore aim to:
- Conduct an epidemiological study to evaluate individual and herd-related risk factors, including genetic factors.
- In a field study follow a number of dairy herds and interview dairy farmers to identify management- and housing-related risk and success factors.
- Design an advisory tool to calculate how different mortality levels affect farm economy and environmental impact.
- Develop and improve the effectiveness of advisory services to reduce on-farm cow mortality. Increased knowledge of the determinants of on-farm mortality is essential to contribute to targeted and relevant preventive advisory services.