FAWC Report
[1]The Farm Animal Welfare Council is the Government's advisory body on farm animal welfare. Its first ever report on the dairy industry was made in December 1997.
Many recommendations and observations were made in the 96 page report, some of which are highlighted here. A number of welfare issues gave rise to particular concern. They include lameness, fertility and reproduction. The report also outlines concerns regarding the slaughter of very young calves under the EU calf processing scheme.
Calf & cow separation
The needs of the calf are best provided for by leaving it with the mother. However, general industry practice for many years has been for the mother to be present for a short time only and most calves are removed within 24 to 48 hours of birth. Concern has been expressed that removal of calf at such an early age is not in the welfare interests of the cow or calf. Knowledge of the effect of separation on both the welfare of calf and cow is limited.
Death of young calves
About 170,000 of calves born each year die in their first month of life. Scouring (diarrhoea) is the main factor contributing to their death. Respiratory infections are particularly common in calves between 8 and 20 weeks of age.
Calf Processing Scheme
Calves destined for slaughter under the EU calf processing scheme are likely to be at risk of infection and enteric diseases. FAWC would prefer slaughter of these calves to be on the farm and not be transported further than necessary.
Short lifespan
Modern dairy cows have a life span of less than 4 lactations. A significant number of cows are culled in early life for various reasons, including chronic lameness with its associated suffering.
Unwanted progeny
Approximately a quarter of cows are replaced annually in the dairy herd. With the current target of each cow producing one calf per annum, this results in 75% of calves born (of which two thirds are male pure-bred dairy calves) being surplus to the requirements of the dairy industry. The majority of these animals leave the herd either for beef systems or to the EU calf processing scheme. Surplus calves may be reared for veal in future but in the medium term only about 20,000 per annum are likely to be required to supply this market.
Embryo transfer
Embryo transfer is being undertaken on a small ableit increasing scale. Considerable concern is expressed regarding oversize calves resulting from in vitro fertilised embryos that can cause difficulties at calving. It is essential that research is pursued as a matter of urgency. Repeated epidural injections to allow ovum pick up can cause welfare problems such as chronic pain in the tail head and fused vertebrae.
Breeding
Breeding companies were encouraged to pay special attention to the selection of cattle with good feet and legs so as to reduce the risk of lameness.
Ultrasound
The use of ultrasound for the detection of pregnancy in cattle has become more popular in the last few years. The Royal College of Surgeons is concerned that the use of such procedures by untrained, non-veterinarians could cause welfare problems e.g. damage or stretching of internal tissues.
Year round housing
There is renewed interest in housing dairy cows throughout the year. It is questionable whether this system allows cows to exhibit normal behaviour. Lameness and environmental mastitis were shown to be higher in a UK study on year round housing.
Cubicle size
Many cubicles were constructed some years ago and are too small for the current size of dairy cow, resulting in injuries to cows and their refusal to use them.
Milking machines
Many milking machines are reported to be badly adjusted and working inefficiently. Correct action of the machine is essential to cow comfort, optimum milking performance and udder health.
Robotic milking
Concerns were expressed over robotic machines breaking down thereby causing suffering to animals. Recommendations that robotic milking parlours should only be installed if there is ready and speedy access to a suitably qualified maintenance engineer were made.
Health problems
Diseases caused by internal parasites remain potentially serious problems and a lack of understanding frequently leads to poor grazing management or inappropriate worming regimes. Injury to animals has also arisen following the administration of long-acting anthelmintic boluses.
Mange
Mange is caused by external parasites have increased in prevalence. Mange causes considerable discomfort and irritation, with affected cattle often rubbing areas of skin raw, yet it is often widely ignored.
Bovine virus diarrhoea (BVD)
BVD is a significant disease and infected animals are frequently not culled until they become obviously ill and reluctant to rise and have gross soiling of the hindquarters.
Johnes disease
This causes weight loss, soiling and debility and, again, animals are often not culled until too late when they may be emaciated and weak.
Production diseases (mastitis, lameness and infertility)
These have been described as conditions arising as a consequence of the modern pressures to raise milk yield per cow. All can be attributed, in varying degrees, to the genetic make-up of the cow and the manner in which the cow is fed and kept.
Lameness
There are many farms where lameness is causing unnecessary pain and unnecessary distress. Yet some stockmen appear not to perceive lameness as a problem and the severity and extent often go unnoticed and untreated. This is unnacceptable and the issue is a matter of public concern. If action is not take, there may ultimately be calls for legislative control. FAWC intends to reivew the situation in 5 years.
Mastitis
Mastitis is a very significant disease of dairy cattle and occurs in all dairy herds. It is an inflammation of the udder usually caused by a bacterial infection, although stress can predispose to this disease. Mastitis may occur in clinical form, where changes in milk are obvious, or subclinical form, where there are no visible changes. It can also be acute, where the cow is seriously ill, or chronic, where the cow may show no outward sign of ill health.
High yield cows
Dairy farmers are forced to produce milk at the lowest cost and this is often achieved by seeking a high average yield per cow which in turn may result in greater risk of welfare problems. Work on very high yielding cows in Canada, Denmark, Germany and America suggest that production may have already passed the point where good cow welfare can be maintained. High yielding cows are more vulnerable to lameness, probably for metabolic reasons.
Nutrition
Inappropriate nutrition may cause metabolic disorders, mastitis, lameness and subfertility. Feeding knowledge on farms may fall short of the exacting demands of the cow and leads to a variety of problems. A further complication may be producers purposely trying to lower milk output as a consequence of EU milk quota regime i.e. when in danger of going over quota.The genetic drive of the cow can be such that, in spite of reduced nutrient input, milk output continues with consequential liveweight loss due to mobilisation of body reserves.
Culling
In many herds a culling rate of about 25% is normal. Poor fertility is the single most important reason for culling, irrespective of age.
Mutilations
Mutilations cause considerable pain and constitute a major welfare insult to farm animals.
Castration
All three methods of castration currently in use appear to cause acute pain. and is an undesirable mutilation which should only be carried out to avoid worse welfare problems.
Disbudding/dehorning
These are painfula nd stressful procedures and effective anaesthesia is essential. Parts of the law are currently unsatisfactory and are also at variance with best welfare practice.
Supernumerary teats
Legislation should be brought into line with that on castration and disbudding.
Tagging
Metal tags cause more damage to the ear than plastic tages. There is a need for a method of tagging cattle that does not raise welfare concerns.
Natural service
There is a tendency to neglect bulls in the dairy herd and many are improperly housed without access to a suitable exercise area. Pure-bred dairy bulls are often kep in poorly lit and isolated pens.
Overstocked udders
It is a common practice to send dairy cattle to market or to agricultural shows with overstocked udders. This has no benefit to the animal and is pursued simply in the interests of the owner who believes that the presentation of a full udder makes the cow more attractive.
BST
Further studies on the effects of Bovine Somatotrophin have confirmed that cattle treated with BST, to increase their yield, are more likely to have mastitis or lameness and possibly other metabolic disorders. FAWC is unable to revise its earlier conclusion that the use of BST is unacceptable on welfare grounds.