Impact of farm location on dairy animal health and behaviour welfare scores in Karnataka

Abstract

Assessing the welfare of dairy animals requires a multidimensional understanding of how management, environment, and human-animal interactions influence health and behaviour. This study evaluates the impact of farm location on dairy cattle welfare in Karnataka by comparing key welfare indicators across peri-urban farms of Bengaluru Rural district and rural farms of Kolar district. Using purposive random sampling, 60 dairy farms (30 peri-urban, 30 rural) were assessed based on the “Animal Health and Behaviour” component comprising productivity, body condition, cow comfort, cleanliness, hock injuries, human-animal relationship, lameness, mastitis incidence, reproductive efficiency, and abnormal behaviours. The overall mean welfare score (out of 40) did not differ significantly between peri-urban (20.80 ± 0.592) and rural farms (21.97 ± 0.733), indicating comparable welfare status across regions. Peri-urban farms showed marginally better Body Condition Scores, Hock Injury Scores, and Reproductive Efficiency, whereas rural farms demonstrated relatively higher scores for Average Productivity, Cow Comfort Index, Cow Cleanliness Score, Human-Animal Relationship, Lameness Score, Mastitis control, and Abnormal Behaviour. Notably, rural farms performed significantly better (P < 0.05) in lameness reduction and mastitis incidence, likely due to advantages such as greater open space, better floor conditions, partial grazing opportunities, and reduced dependence on milking machines. Despite minor regional differences, the overall mean welfare score of 21.38/40 reflects suboptimal welfare conditions across both systems, underscoring a pressing need for improved hygiene, enhanced stall comfort, better mastitis management, and systematic adoption of welfare-focused dairy management practices. The findings provide evidence-based insights to support future welfare guidelines and policy interventions for Karnataka’s dairy sector.