RSPCA Australia knowledgebase

Foot lameness is a common problem in dairy farming and not unusual in wet conditions. It can be caused by cows having to walk long distances from paddock to dairy parlour – particularly if these tracks are not well-maintained – and by standing on concrete floors for long periods. This results...

The RSPCA Approved Farming Scheme at present covers the production of eggs, pork and chicken. RSPCA-Approved farms maintain a high level of welfare for the housing and management of layer hens, pigs and meat chickens. Given the serious welfare issues facing hens in cages, sows in sow stalls and...

Dairy calves and dairy goat kids may be born with extra teats on the udder, called supernumerary teats. These extra teats are non-functional and not harmful but may leak during milking or, occasionally, become infected. In the dairy industry, supernumerary teats are usually removed. The RSPCA...

Mastitis is an infection that causes inflammation of a cow’s udder. It is caused by bacteria or by injury, and clinical mastitis can affect around 5% of dairy cows in a herd. The likelihood of a cow having mastitis is related to nutrition, hygiene and other procedures at milking. Mastitis is...

Veal is the meat produced from dairy calves weighing less than 70kg or beef calves (vealers/weaners) weighing up to 150kg.  Calves from the dairy industry usually grow up on specialist calf-rearing properties unless the dairy farmer has facilities for rearing calves. Calves are generally...

Routine tail docking of up to two-thirds of the cow’s tail at 12-18 months old, was introduced mainly for the benefit of the milker but also in the belief that tail docking reduces the risk of mastitis, improves milk quality, leaves udders cleaner and reduces fly numbers. However, there is no...

Disbudding is the removal of the horn bud before it attaches to the animal’s skull (calves), whereas dehorning is removal of the horn once it has attached to the skull (older calves and heifers). The practice is performed on many dairy farms to reduce the incidence of bruising and potential...

 State Yes/No Name of relevant Act/special conditions and requirements ACT n/a There are no dairy cattle in the ACT. NSW Yes Section 12 of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act –...

If a pregnant cow’s due date falls outside the desired time for calving, the dairy farmer may decide to induce the calf, causing it to be born prematurely. Cows will then return to close-to-normal production and fertility in the next mating season and their calves will be born within the desired...

For cows to produce milk, they have to give birth to a calf every year. Most calves are separated from the cows within twelve hours of birth to reduce the risk of disease, and most do not stay on the farm for long. The term ‘bobby calves’ means newborn calves that are less than two weeks old...

 4.1 RSPCA Australia believes that farm animal husbandry and management practices should provide for the behavioural, social and physiological needs of the individual animal and not cause unnecessary injury, suffering or distress.  4.2 ...

Beef cattle are reared outdoors in all Australian states and territories. Southern areas with good pasture have herds with a high density of stock and northern areas, with less feed, have herds with a low density of stock. Queensland and New South Wales account for 71% of beef and veal production....