A novel method for efficient welfare assessment on dairy cattle farms in Serbia

Long-term challenges in the dairy sector regarding the implementation of systematic and practically applicable welfare monitoring have necessitated the development of a new, locally adapted assessment method in Serbia. International protocols such as Welfare Quality®, although recognized as the gold standard with scientifically validated indicators, remain inaccessible for routine use due to substantial time, personnel, and logistical demands. The reality of Serbian farms, mainly small and medium-sized operations with specific husbandry conditions, underscores the need for a rapid, reliable, and objective approach to welfare assessment, which is crucial for sustainability, food safety, and competitiveness. The novel methodology is based on a carefully selected set of basic, easily and rapidly measurable indicators that have been validated through comparison with the WQP protocol, thereby confirming both their reliability and practical value for commercial, advisory, and control purposes. This approach is tailored to limited resources and capacities, enabling standardized, rapid, and efficient welfare assessment, reducing costs, and increasing monitoring frequency. Integrating the new method into an innovative application will allow straightforward data collection, analysis, and display directly on-farm. This digital approach facilitates data entry and automatic processing, report generation, education, and personalized recommendations, resulting in significantly faster, more accurate, and more accessible welfare assessments for all stakeholders in the dairy sector.