A report on the UK Dairy
Industry
Farm Assurance Schemes
Food scares such as BSE, Salmonella and E. coli, as well as concerns over
GMOs, antibiotics and pesticides, have led to an increase in the supply of
organic milk. However, organic production still accounts for less than two
per cent of the UK’s annual milk production at 240 million litres (58).
Many people who choose to pay the extra for organic milk do so because they
believe the animals have a better standard of living, but is this the reality?
Soil Association Organic Standards
In order to receive Soil Association certification for their milk, dairy
farmers must comply with specific standards set down by the organisation.
Certified farms are inspected annually by the Soil Association to ensure
that these standards are being upheld (59). But do these standards result
in better animal welfare than conventional dairy farms?
While most of the standards set out by the Soil Association are aimed at
improving the quality of the milk, certain standards do pertain specifically
to animal welfare. Highly invasive practices such as embryo transfer and
ovum pick-up are prohibited but artificial insemination is allowed without
any regulations governing the breed (and therefore size) of the sire (59).
Fertility hormones may not be used to synchronise calving but may be used
to induce parturition or to bring a cow with failing fertility into heat
(59). Calves may only be housed individually until seven days old and then
must be group housed, however disbudding is still permitted up to three months
old and castration with a rubber ring is allowed in the first week of life
(59). They may not be taken to market under one month old but beyond that
age they may endure journeys of up to eight hours to market or the abattoir
(59).
Cows on organic farms are still impregnated every year to provide a continuous
supply of milk and endure the trauma of having their calves taken away within
24-72 hours of birth (59). They also carry the dual load of pregnancy and
lactation for seven months of every year, just like those on conventional
farms. These two welfare insults are inherent in dairy production and cannot
be eliminated. The birth of male calves is also a problem for organic dairy
farmers using high yield breeds such as Holsteins and the scheme allows these ‘unwanted
by-products’ to be shot shortly after birth. There are also no guidelines
on the length of time which dairy cows may be housed indoors, although zero-grazing
systems (where cows never go out to pasture) are prohibited (59).
RSPCA Freedom Foods Scheme
The RSPCA’s Freedom Foods standards for the welfare of dairy cattle
provide little more than the legal minimum for cows and their calves (60).
As in organic farming, cows suffer the repeated trauma of having their calves
taken away shortly after birth and face the gruelling workload of pregnancy
and lactation (60). The only practices of conventional farming which are
prohibited are embryo transfer and ovum pick-up (60) Calves may still be
housed individually up to eight weeks old and can travel to market as young
as seven days old, enduring journeys up to eight hours long (60). The standards
on the removal of supernumerary teats and disbudding do offer slightly higher
welfare than the legal minimum, with anaesthetic being required for both
procedures under the scheme and a younger age limit set (60). However the
fate of male calves is ignored under this scheme, leaving farmers free to
kill off any unwanted calves immediately after birth (60).
The welfare benefit provided to dairy cows by the RSPCA Freedom Foods scheme
was evaluated in a study by Bristol University which investigated the welfare
of cows on 40 Freedom Foods farms and 40 non-Freedom Foods farms (7). According
to Professor Webster:
“There was no difference in overall welfare score between
Freedom Foods and non-Freedom Foods farms. Thus, we were unable to conclude
that membership of the Freedom Foods scheme ensured better overall welfare
than non-participating farms.” (7)
Little Red Tractor – British Farm Standard
The Red Tractor logo on dairy products signifies that the milk was produced
in the UK on a farm which meets the standards of the National Dairy Farm
Assured Scheme (NDFAS). However, these standards are simply the UK
and EU legal minimums and nothing more! All of the farming practices
outlined in this report are acceptable under this scheme (61). The only thing
this logo guarantees the customer is that the product was produced in Britain
and the farm wasn’t breaking any laws, at least not on the day it was
inspected.
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