Question
To ask Her Majesty's Government what measures they are taking to ensure that all dairy farmers in the United Kingdom allot a minimum of 610 mm of head space to each cow in their herds.
Answer
There are no specific requirements in UK animal welfare legislation regarding head space for dairy cows in cubicles. However, Defra’s Code of Recommendations for the Welfare of Livestock: Cattle, with which dairy farmers must by law be familiar, includes a section on cow cubicles. The code recommends that cubicles should be designed to enable cows to lie down and stand up easily without injuring themselves.