Question
To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent assessment she has made of the health and welfare standards for large scale dairy enterprises in which cows are housed indoors all year round.
Answer
All dairy cattle, in whatever system they are kept, are protected by comprehensive animal welfare legislation. In England, the welfare of cattle is protected by the Animal Welfare Act 2006, which makes it an offence to cause unnecessary suffering to any animal. The Act also contains a duty of care to animals, this means that anyone responsible for an animal must take reasonable steps to make sure the animal's needs are met. These general requirements are supplemented by more detailed ones in the Welfare of Farmed Animals (England) Regulations 2007 for calves and cattle, covering areas such as accommodation, tethering, inspection, feed and water.It is important to recognise that poor welfare may occur in both intensive and extensive systems. The most significant influence on the welfare of livestock is the stock-keeper, not the system in which it is reared.DEFRA is currently funding a three year project by the Scottish Agricultural College which is investigating the management and welfare of continuously housed cows. It will compare the health of cows in continuously housed systems with those in summer grazing systems, by using culling and fertility data. Work on this research is at an early stage, and is due to be completed at the end of June 2011.