What is ‘intensive winter grazing’?
A few things happen on the dairy farming calendar at this time of year – calves start coming, milking begins and pictures surface of cows in mud.
The images kick off what has become an annual debate about intensive winter grazing.
Last week, right on schedule, photos and drone footage were released showing cows standing and lying in deep mud in Southland and Otago.
The images were used by environmentalist Angus Robson to launch a campaign against intensive winter grazing, which he says is a ‘‘massive environmental and animal welfare issue’’.
He wants to see tighter rules and better enforcement of regulations to pull the industry’s laggards into line.
Also known as ‘‘winter cropping’’ or ‘‘wintering on crops’’, intensive winter grazing is when livestock like cattle, sheep and deer are strip fed a crop. In the dairy industry, it is typically kale, fodder beet or swedes. As the herd finishes one section of the crop, the farmer opens up another strip, letting the animals eat their way through the paddock in a controlled manner. That control is important with beet crops because cows can get seriously sick if they over-indulge.
What’s the problem with it?
If done well, it can be a great way to provide food for animals and protect pastures, according to the Ministry for Primary Industries and DairyNZ.
When it is not well-managed things can go pear-shaped, particularly around animal welfare and the environment.
Cows are heavy – even the lighter breeds average more than 400 kilograms at 6 years old – so if you put a bunch of them in a paddock in the middle of winter, you are going to get mud.
‘‘Animals will refuse to lie down on wet ground and can then become stressed, stop eating, and are more susceptible to lameness,’’ MPI manager of animal welfare Kate Littin said.
Added to that, there are the potential environmental impacts of all that churned-up ground, including the spread of sediment and nitrates into waterways.
Who’s doing it?
Generally, it is farmers in regions where grass growth slows significantly over winter.
In the deep south, frosts can stop growth for weeks. That is before the rain kicks in and the sun disappears until spring. The practice is less common in the North Island, where winter pasture growth tends to be better.
Who’s against it?
Let’s start with the obvious – Angus Robson. While the groups that represent farmers roll out the ‘‘these pictures aren’t the norm’’ response every year, Robson said the opposite was true. ‘‘It is absolutely normal and you see it everywhere, particularly in the south,’’ he said. ‘‘But it is not about individual farmers – the whole system is broken. Regional councils have systems that let this happen and farmers are only doing what they can get away with to feed their animals on land that was never meant to support such high numbers of cows.’’
Vets and animal rights groups are also against intensive winter grazing. The NZ Veterinary Association’s chief vet, Dr Helen Beattie, said that in some situations farmers could be breaching the Animal Welfare Act, which requires the physical, health and behavioural needs of animals to be met.
That includes plenty of decent food and fresh water, good shelter and the opportunity to display normal patterns of behaviour.
For dairy cattle, normal behaviour includes lying down and they are less likely to do that in mud. Hence, the increased susceptibility to lameness and general unhappiness.
Groups like Greenpeace and Forest and Bird also oppose the practice. For Greenpeace senior campaigner Steve Abel, there is a simple answer: Fewer cows.
‘‘Fewer cows would be better for animal welfare, freshwater health, and the climate. By substantially reducing stock numbers, getting rid of synthetic nitrogen and big irrigation, and most winter cropping, we can see an end to cows in mud.’’
What about farmers?
Nobody is disputing the fact that there are some farmers making a hash of winter cropping.
Some, like Glenn and Sarah Jones from Hororata in Canterbury, try to lead by example. Glenn said winter was a challenge, especially with fodder beet, which has a high yield per hectare so needs to be fed out in small sections. ‘‘When conditions get wet, we move the break fence more frequently, three to four times a day.’’ In severe rain or snow, the cows are moved to grass to minimise damage to soil and to provide more shelter.
‘‘Cows walking through mud all day takes a lot of energy out of them, it’s not good for them.’’
A truly simple solution is lacking. While housing cows indoors over winter might be easy in practical terms, it comes at a cost a lot of farmers aren’t able to meet.
Similarly, reducing stocking rates looks simple on paper but could financially cripple some farm businesses.
Robson said it wouldn’t be easy to come back from years of large-scale dairy farming in areas not suited to it. ‘‘Unwinding the whole situation is going to be difficult and there is going to be pain. But it needs to happen.’’