Critical Control Points (CCP) in dairy housing and management

Dairy cows are an important source of income for many German farms. With increasing herd sizes there is a clear trend towards loose housing systems in which already now the majority of dairy cows is kept. For the time being there is no detailed animal welfare legislation for dairy cattle older than six months of age, except for animals kept organically. However, ‘cow comfort’, i.e. keeping and managing cows in a way that safeguards their well-being and thereby secures good performance levels, is an area of great interest for milk producers. Based on scientific findings and practical experience as well as legal requirements, e.g. in the area of milk hygiene, we propose and elucidate control points that largely cover the critical aspects of cow welfare. Apart from technical and constructional details, major emphasis is put on management aspects. They play an especially important role in the areas of calving, feeding and watering, milking as well as in health control. Not only aspects which should be monitored are listed, but also minimum standards are defined that should be met in order to keep good welfare levels in dairy farming. The definition of critical control points allows to detect specific weak spots and to develop improvement strategies. The controls comprise a combination of observations of animals and of evaluations of environmental conditions as well as the farmers’ working routines. This approach helps to safeguard dairy cow welfare and thereby the long-term health and productivity of the cows and, additionally, a high product quality.

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