Healthy, Happy Cows

Publish on: Feb 15, 2021

With the pandemic affecting nearly every aspect of our lives, farming has in many ways remained a constant. Being part of the food industry saw us all become “key workers”, keeping dairy and meat supplies going.  British farming has some of the highest welfare standards in the world, however a quick search on google on welfare in  dairy farms and you don’t have to look for long before you find very negative press on the dairy industry.

With lots of people out and about walking on farmland at the moment there are more eyes on us than ever. How does your farm appear to those looking on? If people were to walk onto your farm at any time what would they see?

For people unconnected to dairy farming there is often a lack of knowledge or understanding of how and what goes on .Getting the basics right is essential.

• Clean dry places for animals to lie.
• Constant access to food and water.
• Low levels of lameness.

All of these things are obviously visible to passers by. Down cows must be kept on their own with access to their own food and water and be regularly observed.

I have been involved in several incidents in the last year of farmers being reported to various authorities for animal welfare reasons. A couple of these have been members of the public trespassing onto farms and filming animals. Another incident involved animals penned ready for a Tb test. There have also been reports of people sat outside farms watching what is going on. Some of these situations were simple misunderstandings, but an important reminder to remain conscious of what is happening on your farm.

We have the privilege to work on some excellent farms. We all know healthy happy cows are the most productive. No matter if you have a modern purpose built farm or an older traditional farm, cow health and welfare should always be a priority.