INVITED REVIEW: Animal welfare in pasture-based dairy systems-A systematic scoping review to identify progress, priorities, and future directions.

Abstract

This systematic review examines the past and present focus of welfare research in pastoral dairy production systems and uses these insights to suggest future research priorities. We included original research articles published between 2000 and 2024 that studied dairy cows, weaned youngstock or preweaning calves in pastoral dairy systems and reporting on animal welfare outcomes. Review articles were excluded. Three thousand peer-reviewed manuscripts written in English were screened for inclusion. The 678 eligible articles extracted were categorized by welfare domain using the Five Domains framework (i.e., nutrition, health, environment, behavior, and mental state) and inductively assigned up to 5 descriptive key words to reflect the main welfare issue(s) addressed. Welfare research output increased from 19 to 60 publications per year over the past (2000-2019) to present periods (2020-2024), respectively. Most studies (74.0%) focused on cows, with fewer publications on the calf and weaned youngstock. Across all cattle classes and years, health was the most represented welfare domain, addressed by 69% of calf, 54% of youngstock, and 53% of cow studies, whereas the mental state domain was addressed in less than 1% of research. The article key words were used to assess changes in welfare focus topics over time. From 2000 to 2019, 34 calf welfare topics were identified, with research primarily focusing on colostrum management and passive immunity (21%). Presently (2020-2024), of the 42 topics published on the calf, extended suckling systems (19%) dominate (i.e., systems providing extended cow-calf contact). For weaned youngstock, 33 topics were published between 2000 and 2019, and parasitism was a key welfare theme. The present youngstock research continues to focus on parasite control (19% of studies covering 31 topics). Past research on cow welfare (94 topics) concentrated on pasture access and lameness. In recent years, 106 different topics have been covered by the cow literature. Of these, emerging technologies, such as virtual fencing and automated health monitoring, represent the most studied topics (14%), closely followed by pasture access (13%). Future research should increase focus on calves and youngstock, particularly in relation to environment, nutrition, behavior, and their effects on mental state. Extended suckling systems warrant continued attention. Longitudinal studies exploring how early-life environments shape heifer resilience and adaptability are encouraged. Addressing climate-related challenges while preserving the welfare benefits of pasture access is critical. Progress will require ongoing collaboration between science and industry, balancing immediate needs with investment in longer-term, transformative welfare solutions.