Are we ready for an 8100-cow dairy herd? NO

Cows peacefully grazing our green pastures in the summer sunshine. It’s the iconic image of the British countryside. This is not just romantic nostalgia on our part but, in terms of animal welfare, it is a valid portrayal of good practice.

In 2009 the European Food Safety Authority published a Scientific Opinion on the welfare of dairy cows, based on an extensive review of the scientific literature. It said: “If dairy cows are not kept on pasture for parts of the year, that is, they are permanently on a zero-grazing system, there is an increased risk of lameness, hoof problems, mastitis, metritis, dystocia, ketosis, retained placenta and some bacterial infections.”

The organisers of the proposed Nocton mega-farm say on their website that the cows will be kept indoors. They would only be allowed out when they are in their dry period, weather and grazing permitting – that is, in good summer weather.

So, if a cow’s dry period falls in the colder and wetter half of the year, then this too will be spent inside. The cows will therefore have access to pasture for just 0-2 months of the year.

As ruminants, ability to graze is the most basic natural behaviour of cows. Perhaps Nocton Dairies should heed the new Animal Welfare Act which provides that an animal’s needs shall be taken to include their “need to be able to exhibit normal behaviour patterns”. The Act also requires animals to be provided with a “suitable environment”.

Is virtually permanent indoor housing a suitable environment for cows? I think not.

Nocton estimates its cows will produce around 11,000 litres of milk each per year. There is no way this kind of productivity can be achieved without feeding a high proportion of concentrates, probably around 60%. But the EFSA opinion points out that a large proportion of concentrates in the diet can lead to transient acidosis of the ruminal environment, which has been linked to loss of body condition, laminitis, and high herd culling rates.

Pushing milk yields too high works against lifetime efficiency. Higher-yielding cows are more likely to be culled for foot problems or mastitis. A cow having her metabolism pepped up like this may also be struggling to eat enough to sustain her milk production, lacks time to rest or exercise, and is often feeling overloaded in her gut just because she is eating so much – a vicious circle of poor welfare outcomes.

At a time when hard-working British dairy farmers are going out of business, the Nocton dairy could see many more farmers unable to compete on economies of scale. Bad for cow welfare, bad for farmers, what’s to like about Nocton Dairies?