Free Range/Intensive Milk

jessicamb

I was watching Countryfile today and saw that a lot of dairy cows in the UK are quite intensively farmed, in that they live in barns and may never graze freely in fields as I was perhaps naively expecting.

Am I over reacting to want to drink milk from a cow that has had a more natural life? If so where do I get it from - is organic milk going to be ok or do I need something specific?

mouseymousey99

I think you need a vegertarian site Jessicamb?
http://www.vegsoc.org/

jessicamb

Thanks, I'm not a veggie just pondering more on the ethics of how the cows are treated. I try to buy happy meat where possible.

I've been looking on the internet since my earlier post and I think I have the choice of either organic milk from the supermarkets or the normal milk from a nearby farm shop.

nesssie1702

The organic milk from the supermarkets might not have any bearing on how the cows have been treated - just that they've not eaten any food that's been treated with chemicals in any way.

Ask at your farm shop if the dairy cattle are grazing outside? At least that way you'll know if the cows in the fields are the same ones providing you with milk.

PlutoinCapricorn

The whole subject is a bit of a minefield, as milk production also involves the disposal of unwanted calves. You need to decide how far you want to go: many people will not drink milk at all, some only if they know where it comes from and how the cows are treated. Soya milks taste a bit odd at first, but you get used to it after a while.

Penelope_Penguin

jessicamb wrote: »

IAm I over reacting to want to drink milk from a cow that has had a more natural life? If so where do I get it from - is organic milk going to be ok or do I need something specific?

I'm not sure about cattle, but I know that for poultry/eggs if it's organic then it can't be intensive. So AFAIK, organic milk will be going much of the way to what you're after.

As this isn't strictly Old Style, I'll move this to the G&E board, where ypu may get more replies

Hi, Martin’s asked me to post this in these circumstances: I’ve asked Board Guides to move threads if they’ll receive a better response elsewhere (please see this rule) so this post/thread has been moved to another board, where it should get more replies. If you have any questions about this policy please email [EMAIL="abuse@moneysavingexpert.com"]abuse@moneysavingexpert.com[/EMAIL].

NualaBuala

Hi Jessi,

I saw that Countryfile too and found it really disturbing. My instinct was to switch to organic or soya milk but I'm trying to find out as much as I can first.

Compassion in World Farming has some info about organic mik here. In my Tesco the organic milk is twice the price of my usual and it doesn't stock low fat but I'm really struggling with the idea of my meat/dairy coming from poorly treated animals.

Let me know if you find out any more.

Mojisola

nesssie1702 wrote: »

The organic milk from the supermarkets might not have any bearing on how the cows have been treated - just that they've not eaten any food that's been treated with chemicals in any way.

This is nonsense. Organic certification is not just about whether you use chemicals or not. To become certified, a farmer has to operate at high levels of animal welfare which includes allowing natural behaviour.

See https://www.organicfarmers.org.uk/aboutorganics/faq.php - particularly Why is organic farming better for animals? and Are ‘organic’ animals ‘free range’?

A_fiend_for_life

I think the way forward is to go for organic as it shows there is a market for it and encourages other farmers to adopt organic methods. It's worth asking local shopkeepers if they can get a local source.

We drink too much milk so the extra price can be offset by reducing consumption.

So many farmers have gone out of business, and continue to go out of business, that we are importing more milk every year.

_Andy_

jessicamb wrote: »

Thanks, I'm not a veggie just pondering more on the ethics of how the cows are treated. I try to buy happy meat where possible.

How exactly can bits of dead animal bodies that have been slaughtered ever be 'happy'?

Mojisola

There is a big difference between the meat of a short-lived, intensively raised animal and a slower-growing, organically raised one.