Dairy Farms in an Urbanising Environment: Tradeoffs Between Productivity and Animal Welfare

The aim of the present study was to analyse daily milk yield and cow leg health considering farms located in urban, peri-urban and rural areas. The study allows deeper insight into processes of urbanisation and their impact on dairy cattle farming in Bengaluru, a rising megacity in India with currently more than 11 million inhabitants. Urban dairy cattle farming operates under several constraints regarding cow welfare aspects, i.e. limited grazing access, sub-optimal manure management and partly poor housing conditions with limited space. The poor housing conditions, especially in combination with larger herd sizes and concrete floor, might explain the higher disease incidences for hock disorders in urban areas. Despite the environmental constraints and leg problems, cow productivity in terms of milk yield was higher in urban than in rural areas. The priorisation of productivity is likely due to economic drivers, foremost the increasing demand for dairy products in urban districts, combined with limited competition and high milk prices.