Study Shows Mixed Animal Welfare Results Following Potential Grazing Requirement Changes
stockholm, Sweden – A new study measuring 16 animal welfare dimensions in dairy cows has revealed a complex picture of impacts related to potential changes in sweden’s grazing requirements, with some areas showing enhancement while others deteriorated. Teh findings come amid ongoing debate and political maneuvering surrounding a proposal to abolish the mandatory grazing rule for cattle.
World Animal Protection (WAP) has commented on the study, noting that, having not had access to the full report, they can only assess publicly available results. According to WAP, the visible results “show nothing about the effects of grazing, but just point out that the indoor environment in a loose operation can and should be improved.” Roger Petterson, Secretary-General of WAP Sweden, further stated that the investigation proposal to remove the grazing requirement “does not take into account existing research on grazing, nor does the differences that exist in loose drives.”
The debate over the grazing requirement has sparked significant public opposition. A protest list with 165,076 signatures was delivered to the government on March 27, 2025. Opposition parties successfully initiated a call from the Riksdag to the government to preserve the requirement, following a debate in April 2025.
Recently, an EU proposal emerged suggesting Swedish farmers could receive compensation for grazing, potentially undermining a key argument for removing the requirement. On September 19, 2025, the government announced it would maintain the grazing requirement for the remainder of its term of office.
The animal welfare365 study measured 16 specific indicators. Three showed improvements – våmfillness (rumen fullness), erection behavior, and reclining position – increasing by 1-19 percent. Six remained unchanged: percentage of cows in normal hull, respiratory rate, proportion of cows lying fully within the reclining booth, proportion of cows with clean lower legs, proportion receiving veterinary treatments, and assessment of positive emotional state.
Though, seven indicators showed deterioration, ranging from 1-7 percent: increased cows with clover health remarks, movement disorder, wounds/swelling/inflammation, neck spawning, long claws, dirtiness, and cows standing in the bed.
