DAIRY SUPPLY CHAIN COLLABORATIVE: TACKLING THE COMPLEXITY OF END-OF-LIFE DECISION-MAKING TOGETHER TO IMPROVE DAIRY COW AND CALF WELFARE

The long-term goal of the proposed work is to provide a framework for the development of meaningful, multi-layer interventions to improve end-of-life decisions for U.S. dairy cows and calves at all points along the supply chain. We will attain this goal by accomplishing the following objectives:1. To identify the primary influencing factors in end-of-life decision-making as identifiedy by individuals who participate in decision-making within each sector of the dairy supply chain through a Social Ecological Model (SEM) framework.2. To engage all sectors of the dairy supply chain in the co-creation of practical strategies and preventive measures to improve end-of-life decision-making for dairy cattle.3. To design and implement projects that assess the impact of co-created strategies in improving welfare outcomes related to end-of-life decision-making for dairy cattle within each supply chain sector.