RH&W launches new UK dairy cattle welfare technique

Ruminant Well being & Welfare (RH&W) has collaborated with dairy farmers, vets and trade representatives to create the brand new UK dairy cattle welfare technique for 2023-2028.

The technique has been designed to assist the trade present progress in animal welfare by 2028.

It has outlined six objectives for the trade to attain by 2028:

• ‘Thriving cows’ – Guaranteeing all dairy animals are bred, reared and cared for to thrive in all programs;
• ‘Wholesome toes’ – Guaranteeing a proactive lameness administration plan is in place on each UK dairy farm;
• ‘Comfy cows’ – Maximising cow consolation in housing and at pasture;
• ‘Appropriately nourished cows’ – Guaranteeing a well being physique situation all year long;
• ‘Wholesome udders’ – Continued enchancment to udder well being to cut back circumstances of mastitis;
• ‘Constructive welfare’ – Shifting in direction of ‘constructive welfare’ by offering an atmosphere that permits animals to exhibit regular behaviours like curiosity or play.

RH&W’s vice chair, Gwyn Jones, stated the technique is an replace of a earlier technique geared toward bettering welfare of the nationwide dairy herd, however importantly has assist throughout the 4 nations of the UK.

“The trade’s shared imaginative and prescient is for the UK dairy trade to reveal evidence-based progress in six key areas of cattle welfare by 2028,” he stated.

“Capacity to offer proof of progress will help in sustaining UK standing as a world chief in dairy cattle welfare, serving to us compete with our worldwide gamers.”

Cattle welfare

Jones stated RH&W will assist the dairy trade to make progress within the six key areas of the technique and can ship good welfare in addition to good well being to proceed to set the bar excessive for trade requirements.

“The UK should guarantee requirements ship glorious welfare, offering a strong platform for UK provide chains to construct on sooner or later,” Jones stated.

“To allow the UK dairy trade to compete internationally, the sector will want to have the ability to present proof of progress on welfare.

“By doing so throughout the 4 nations, the UK shall be positively differentiated from different nations.”

Senior animal well being and welfare scientist on the Agriculture and Horticulture Growth Board (AHDB), and an RH&W steering group member, Dr. Jenny Gibbons, stated AHDB has dedicated to serving to the trade publish an annual progress report.

The progress report, she stated, will seize knowledge evidencing the outcomes achieved by the technique’s stakeholders, exhibiting the actions taken yearly to attain the six welfare objectives.

“These actions shall be reported by teams of key trade stakeholders working collectively to collect proof of trade achievements and progress on the six objectives,” she stated.

In growing the technique, the important thing stakeholder teams have been recognized and break up into the next classes: farm assurance; farmers; authorities; processing provide chains, together with markets and hauliers; retail provide chains; analysis organisations; business organisations and veterinary surgeons.

Jones and Gibbons stated that, now the technique has been launched, the dairy trade should work along with the broader UK dairy provide chain to ship the technique.

“The broader trade from authorities officers and assurance scheme suppliers to dairy farmers and processors, should wherever potential work collectively to assist progress on the technique and assist a centralised knowledge assortment to reveal trade progress,” Jones stated.

The dairy welfare technique is a part of a wider physique of labor at RH&W to create welfare methods for the entire of the UK ruminant sector – sheep and beef cattle ones will comply with sooner or later, it stated.