According to the Swedish animal welfare legislation, Swedish dairy cows shall be kept on pasture during
the summer. Before June 15th 2012 cows had to be on pasture for a continuous period of time, 2‐4
months depending on region. Today the legislation has changed and the period can be divided. Grazing
has many beneficial effects, for example on health and natural behavior, but it may also involve
problems with cow traffic in automatic milking systems (AMS) and difficulties to provide quality pasture
for large herds. This master thesis have two parts, one study where the effects of grazing time on
hygiene, claw‐and leg health on four farms with AMS was studied, and one questionnaire study where
the effects of grazing and stall environment of 176 farms were assessed.