An increasing number of automation technologies for dairy cattle farming, including automatic milking, feeding, manure removal and bedding, are now commercially available. The effects of these technologies on individual aspects of animal welfare have already been explored to some extent. However, as of now, there are no studies that analyze the impact of increasing farm automation through various combinations of these technologies. The objective of this study was to examine potential correlations between welfare indicators from the Welfare Quality^® Assessment protocol and dairy farms with varying degrees of automation. To achieve this, 32 trial farms in Northern and Central Germany were categorized into varying automation levels using a newly developed classification system. The Welfare Quality^® Assessment protocol was used to conduct welfare assessments on all participating farms. Using analysis of variance (ANOVA), overall welfare scores and individual measures from the protocol were compared across farms with differing automation levels. No significant differences were observed in overall welfare scores, suggesting that the impact of automation does not exceed other farm-related factors influencing animal wellbeing, such as housing environment or management methods. However, significant effects of milking, feeding, and bedding systems on the appropriate behavior of cattle were observed. Higher levels of automation had a positive impact on the human–animal relationship and led to positive emotional states. Moreover, farms with higher automation levels had significantly lower scores for the prevalence of severe lameness and dirtiness of lower legs. It could be concluded that a higher degree of automation could help to improve animal welfare on dairy farms.

Owing to political and societal requirements, farmers are required to produce animal-friendly and sustainable products in an economic manner. Investments have been made to improve housing conditions for farm animals such as cattle, but further improvements regarding animal welfare of dairy husbandry are needed to regain societal acceptance. In this review, we first provide a brief overview of current housing and management conditions of dairy cattle worldwide as well as their impact on animal welfare of calves, young stock, and dairy cows. This framework was the basis to develop a concept for an alternative demonstration and research barn, the "future dairy barn" (FDB). Crucial for this barn concept was the consideration of the natural behavior of all cattle belonging to a herd to improve animal welfare. Consequently, the FDB concept integrated a family herd that avoids regrouping and enables stable social relationships, a free lying area to allow species-typical lying behavior and pasture or paddock access to enable the cattle to stay indoors or outdoors. This alternative dairy barn concept should help answer research questions on animal welfare in a uniform social and physical environment in long-term investigations. The construction of the FDB aims to support the future of dairy farming.

The objective of this study was to evaluate associations between early transfer to group housing with an automated milk feeder (AMF) and milk intake, growth performance, and insemination-related traits in dairy replacement heifers under commercial farm conditions. Data were retrospectively evaluated from 32 female calves. Calves transferred to group housing with an AMF on day 2 or 3 of life (Group 1; n = 14) were compared with calves transferred on day 15 (Group 2; n = 18). Linear regression models included study group and birth weight as predictors. Group 2 calves had greater milk intake during the first 14 days of life (p < 0.001). However, study group was not significantly associated with ADG until day 70 and body weight at day 365. Heifers in Group 2 reached successful insemination approximately 43 days later than those in Group 1 (p = 0.007), whereas body weight at successful insemination was not significantly associated with study group. Overall, early transfer was not associated with impaired subsequent growth under the conditions of this observational field study.

Water buffalo ( Bubalus bubalis ) are increasingly used for landscape management on rewetted peatlands, where monitoring their behavior and welfare remains challenging due to large, water−rich and difficult−to-access grazing areas. This study evaluated the suitability of two Precision Livestock Farming systems under such conditions. Thirty cows were equipped with smaXtec intraruminal boluses from March to December 2025, and thirteen animals additionally carried RumiWatch pedometers from March to August. Across a 169.17 ha summer and a 13.67 ha winter pasture, the systems recorded 916,881 bolus measurements and 61,726 pedometer data points. The pedometer data showed clear daily rhythms during the recording period: averaged across all animals (n=7), the buffaloes spent 9.07 h per day lying, 11.45 h standing, and 3.05 h walking. In addition, when bolus transmission was functioning (n=29), body temperature (mean 38.89 °C) and rumination time (mean 488.60 min/day) could be recorded. The activity values of both systems were positively correlated (r = 0.72), indicating consistent temporal trends in locomotor activity. Although the hydrologically dynamic landscape occasionally affected data transmission and sensor retention, the systems proved fundamentally suitable for practical buffalo management. The results demonstrate that PLF technologies can support welfare monitoring in water buffalo on rewetted peatlands, provided that deployment and infrastructure are adapted to the specific challenges of wetland grazing systems.