Animal welfare advisers back super-dairies

Proponents of super-dairies have been given a boost by government animal welfare advisers who have concluded there are “few disadvantages” to housing cows in large groups.



In a letter to government ministers the Farm Animal Welfare Council said that a “satisfactory standard of welfare” was achievable in large herds of permanently housed cows.


FAWC chairman Christopher Wathes said: “There appear to be few disadvantages to the cow from being kept in a very large herd, provided that the herd is divided into appropriate groups and managed according to nutritional and other needs.


“Paradoxically, very large herds [of more than 1000 head] have the potential to benefit the individual’s welfare,” he said.


The sheer scale of these herds allowed the business to employ nutritionists and vets to manage animal health, Prof Wathes wrote.


And the construction on greenfield sites, with modern buildings and equipment, provided the opportunity to create greater comfort and better biosecurity, he added.


But the professor added that the cows’ quality of life depended on good management and adequate numbers of stockmen.


“Good management, highly skilled veterinary care and stockmanship of the highest standard are essential.”


He also warned that there were potential disadvantages to permanent housing.


Cattle deprived of pasture could not express “natural foraging behaviour” and, devoid of a soft, non-slip surface, faced an increased risk of injury, he said.


“However, provided that these conditions are met, our advice is that a cow housed all the year round with little or no access to grazing can have a satisfactory standard of welfare,” Prof Wathes said.


Prof Wathes concluded the letter with a warning about consumer perceptions of large dairy herds.


“It is our view that their objections to highly intensive farming practices will continue unless significant steps are taken to ensure that consumers become adequately and appropriately ‘informed’ about animal welfare issues,” he said.





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