07/02/2025
Cull cows
A cull cow is cow thatās sent to slaughter because she can no longer perform profitably in the herd. Life in a modern commercial dairy is hard work for a cow. She will receive the best care, plenty of high quality feed, regular health checks and routine healthcare. But she will need to perform and produce lots of milk. To produce that milk she will have a calf every year, that she will have to give up a day old.
Because the milk prices paid to farmers are so low, they have to be extremely efficient in their milk production and set strict production targets that cows need to meet in order to be profitable. If a cow doesnāt get back in calf quick enough, has too many health problems or doesnāt produce enough milk then she will need to be removed from the herd so as not to lower the efficiency of the rest of the herd.
I run a much lower output system than big commercial dairy herds, my cows typically give an average of 10 litres of milk a day, whereas ānormalā dairy cows will be giving 30-40 litres a day and some of the best cows will be peaking at 50-60 litres per day. This means I can take on a cull cow or two each year and give them a second chance, often finding they flourish in a lower yielding system which is not so demanding of them. And another benefit for these second chance cull cows is they will get to keep and nurse and rear their own calf for the first time.
While life is hard work for a commercial British dairy cow, itās certainly better than the experiences of cows in other countries. We have the highest standards of animal welfare in the UK, please check the labels of what you buy in the supermarket and choose British produce where possible, support our farmers, British businesses, lower your food miles and ensure the highest standards of animal welfare.
