Keeping cows on grass

The World Society for the Protection of Animals has launched a new animal welfare campaign in several European countries, with the aim of keeping cows on grass. As Mike Baker, CEO of the society explains, “We’re reaching out to farmers in order to try and ensure that dairy farming remains a good place for animals.” He notes that the intense pressure that farmers are under often leads them into short-term solutions out of a desire to continue to farm, and often advice comes from parties interested in having cows on feed. “Why put cows in competition for grain?” he asks. “The prices are going nowhere but up.”

Ireland’s plans for the dairy industry seem very far-sighted, he says. He credits this to the advice farmers get from a variety of independent sources there. However, the size of the farm is not a key issue for WSPA, rather, it’s the treatment of the animals that makes the difference.  Baker says he’d like to see a time where intensively farmed cows are as unacceptable as caged hens, and surveys of consumers back him up – there is not much of an appetite for intensively farmed milk in the UK with the majority looking for grass-fed animals.

However, Baker ends by saying WSPA is very interested in meeting with other areas of the dairy industry in the UK, and that this rapid intensification of dairy farming can be slowed. Ireland has proven a successful model of keeping cows on grass, and the Netherlands is working towards putting a cap on its indoor farming, which is at more than 30 per cent currently.

The idea is definitely worth a visit, as intensification seems to produce stressed cows.  The US model, which is quite intense, has discovered a block to further progress as droughts and feed prices have put further pressure on farmers and their animals. Alternatives should be explored to reduce stress on both farmers and animals.

For further information please visit www.wspa.org.uk