Taking issue with dairy industry practices

To the Editor,

Re: Owen Roberts’ April 6 column about the dairy industry.

Actually 73 per cent of Canadian cows are currently confined in tie stalls, according to the dairy cattle code of practices’ own researchers – quite a bit higher than the 40 per cent in the US, noted by Mr. Roberts. And of the 73 per cent, more than half were found to be stalls that did not meet the dimensional requirements for size, as required by the 2009 version of the dairy code.

Stall size and configuration is reported by researchers to have a major impact on cow welfare. Cows tied in stalls suffer more injuries, and even more so when tied in stalls that are undersized, as well as other health impacts resulting from continual lack of movement, including reduced milk production. More importantly, imagine the misery of standing in one place for many months at a time!

(Mr. Roberts reports that – ‘Animal advocates detest tie stalls. They say this kind of housing restricts the dairy cow’s movement…’ So, do tie stalls not restrict the cow’s movement?)

The 2018 American study referenced also reported that while the general public were found to have low knowledge of tie stalls as a method of housing cows for dairy, should they become informed about tie stalls, their study indicated that this would cause ‘considerable’ public concern.

The new code of practice that dairy farmers in Canada are ‘taking control with’ is the update to the 2009 code version (similarly to other farmed animal codes of practice) and has been undergoing the update process since 2019. It was finalized Apr. 1, 2023 and comes into effect Apr. 1, 2024. Notice that they are described as doing this more to get ahead of public perception issues, not as much to improve cow welfare.

The tie stalls are being phased out as reported, but that requirement does not come into effect until Apr. 1, 2027. That’s another potential 1,460 days that dairy cows are permitted to be tied. And many cows being milked today unfortunately will not likely be around to enjoy this freedom by the time it is implemented.

And hopefully this requirement will be followed by farmers more than the stall size requirement has been followed. We won’t know for sure as these conditions are behind closed barn doors. A trespass or worse charge(s) await anyone caring or curious enough to look inside, largely thanks to the rushed passing of Bill 156 during the height of the Covid crisis. The only agency (PAWS) that can enforce code requirements in Ontario operates on a ‘complaints only’ basis. So, who will complain? The cows?

The argument that farmers treat cows well because what’s good for the cows is good for the business just doesn’t quite ring true given the prior information. Codes do need to be in place to protect the cows, but there also needs to be enforcement and oversight to make them effective.

There are some positives in the code, and that can and should be supported.

What we should not support is the current ‘spin’ that the dairy industry is using their massive marketing budget to try to make the diary industry appear more wholesome than it is in reality.

Dairy milk is not a healthy or necessary option, unless you are a calf. Since 2019, the Canada Food Guide has minimized the role of meat and dairy in healthy diets and advised Canadians to increase consumption of fruit and vegetables and drink water as their beverage. This is the first FG update that did not include input from powerful industry interests like Dairy Canada.

Putting ‘Milk’ on Maple Leaf jerseys. TV commercials of cute kids preparing Santa’s milk and cookies in front of a twinkling Christmas tree. ‘Dairy Done Right’ on the side of trucks and in commercials. None of this ‘spin’ will make the wrong thing right. And according to the research, people are telling you that it is not right.

Hoping that calf huts will come up soon for discussion.