Battery Dairy Cows

PLEASE NOTE:-I am writing to raise awareness rather than blame and castigate. I am writing not to harass the farmers who run the mega dairies, which is perfectly legal,(and delivering cheap milk to us), but to work to see do we really need to go down the mega dairy route in Uk, or can we keep our smaller dairy herds? Not to inflame passions about this topic or guilt people but to search for sensible options.

I have included articles and videos of descriptions and footage of cows in situations that some people may find distressing. I have not included the more extreme and graphic scenes that are available as I do not think that is helpful.

I have tried to provide some balance to the argument by showing some moderate films where the megafarmers do get to say how they feel mega dairy farms are working and how they feel the health of cows does not suffer. I have included articles from the Animal Rights organisations and Compassion in World Farming to show their concerns.

Bigger herds, more commercial ways of running a farm have been the norm for sometime, but in UK there is a shift on the horizon approaching fast. It is already in US and gathering speed.

If we read the anti mega dairy farm response the reality of intensive "battery", factory farming of a dairy herd is so very very different. zero grazing, factory environments, calves gone so very quickly after birth, little movement, increased health issues or risk of health issues, lameness, painful mastitis, cows"spent" after just a few years ready for slaughter.

Is it necessary? Is it the future we want to explain to our children?

Does a cow need to be in a field, grazing?

Milk is required for our human population. Farmers are struggling and doing their best to provide at a good price to us while struggling themselves to get a good price and stay in business.

Intensive battery farming is already in US and British farmers have been going over to see for themselves how it can work- the pros and cons.

Its no good blaming the farmers they are providing for us. Some of the videos below will state what they believe are the pros of farming in this way and how the cows are just fine. We need to think if its what we want!

Having seen a programme about these megafarms for dairy cows recently I wanted to look into it more and the future for me looks bleak for cows.

Its not only the cows....

If we get intensive megafarms in UK the future looks bleak for small dairy farmers too. US and UK smaller dairy farmers are already struggling, unable to compete with the big farms.

Its not only the farmers..

What are we putting in our bodies, what are we drinking in our coffee, our cereals? What are we giving in that wholesome looking glass of milk to our children?

Do we really know? Should we even bother?

How long can a cow live?
Cows can live 25 years. (However they do not live this long in a Battery Situation!)

Do cows have good vision?
Cows have almost total 360 degree panoramic vision and are able to see colors, except red.

How long does a cow spend eating each day?
6 hours eating and 8 hours chewing cud. A cow doesn't bite the grass, but she curls her tongue around it. She eats about 95 pounds of feed per day.

How much does a cow drink?
The average cow drinks about 30 gallons of water

How often does a cow sit down each day?
A cow stands up and sits down about 14 times a day.

Are Cows social animals?
Cows are very social animals. They form large herds and will bond to some herd members while avoiding others. They "moo" and use different body positions and facial expressions to communicate with each other.

The friendly cow all red and white,
I love with all my heart:
She gives me cream with all her might,
To eat with apple-tart.

She wanders lowing here and there,
And yet she cannot stray,
All in the pleasant open air,
The pleasant light of day;

And blown by all the winds that pass
And wet with all the showers,
She walks among the meadow grass
And eats the meadow flowers.