to stay with their mothers for five months, and they only milk the cows once a day. charles ellett is in charge of the milking herd. he used to work on a large scale dairy farm. it doesn t take long for a cow to burn out, which is what, you know, those big herds have problems with. my oldest cow in here is 12 years old. she s just starting her ninth lactation. most cows in commercial systems are gone after four or five. and why is that? because their body just burns out? just burned out. he s had first hand experience of cow calf separation. they shout and bawl and, you know, they ll scream for that baby and pace around the pen. the ethical dairy has a herd of 120 cows, owned by farmer david finlay.
the industry itself acknowledges that cow calf separation is a difficult issue. how big is your herd? approximately 200. abi reader is a dairy farmer in wales and a board member of the national farmers union. this is the biggest issue that dairy farms globally are focusing on. most farms will separate calves from cows within the first 24 48 hours. it s a very complex issue. as an industry, we recognise that this is something difficult for consumers to grapple with. it s 5.30 in the morning and i m in south west scotland, and i m here to visit a dairy farm where they believe that cows deserve a rather less stressful existence. this is the morning milking at the ethical dairy. here, they allow the calves
this farm for 30 years. he says while cow calf separation maximises the milk production, doing it this way is also in the animals best interests. so is that the best option for the cow and the calf? we absolutely, genuinely believe so. you know, welfare is about health, happiness of the individual and the group. and in this case, even though it might be a tough hit at the start, we think it is the most healthiest thing to do. so to what extent do the consumers who buy the milk in the supermarkets know what s going on, on a dairy farm? i suspect that they have a certain rose tinted view of dairying in green fields all of the time. these cows go out to green fields every year. they probably don t realise some of the realities of what we do, and how we do it and particularly why we do it. many of us now have a greater interest in where our food comes from and the lives of the farm animals that feed us.
for five months, and they only milk the cows once a day. charles ellett is in charge of the milking herd. he used to work on a large scale dairy farm. it doesn t take long for a cow to burn out, which is what, you know, those big herds have problems with. my oldest cow in here is 12 years old. she s just starting her ninth lactation. most cows in commercial systems are gone after four or five. and why is that? because their body just burns out? just burned out. he s had first hand experience of cow calf separation. they shout and bawl and, and, you know, they ll scream for that baby and pace around the pen. the ethical dairy has a herd of 120 cows, owned by farmer david finlay.
he says while cow calf separation maximises the milk production, doing it this way is also in the animals best interests. so is that the best option for the cow and the calf? we absolutely, genuinely believe so. you know, welfare is about health, happiness of the individual and the group. and in this case, even though it might be a tough hit at the start, we think it is the most healthiest thing to do. so to what extent do the consumers who buy the milk in the supermarkets know what s going on, on a dairy farm? i suspect that they have a certain rose tinted view of dairying in green fields all of the time. these cows go out to green fields every year. they probably don t realise some of the realities of what we do, and how we do it and particularly why we do it.