Consumers want free range milk and more transparent labeling, new survey says

In response to consumer demand, World Animal Protection are calling for transparent milk labeling and clarity about the number of cows in intensive indoor farms in the UK.

In a YouGov Poll a total of 87% of respondents would want to buy free range milk which came from cows that grazed on pasture, and meant farmers would receive a good price for their milk.

56% would buy it even if it cost more. Animal welfare was seen as high priority as 72% of respondents said they were concerned about the welfare of cows who are housed permanently indoors.

86% of UK adults agree that dairy cows in the UK should be able to graze on pasture (i.e. allowed to graze outdoors in fields) and should not be permanently housed indoors.

Ethical consumerism is now a high priority for shoppers in the UK and with more transparent welfare labeling on eggs and many meat products, it only follows that shoppers have a similar interest in how their milk is produced.

Currently, the Government doesn't collect or publish information on how many intensive indoor dairy farms there are in the UK, how many cows are permanently housed year-round in these farms or how much milk is coming from these cows. Research published last year suggested that the number of dairy farmers that graze their cows outside in fields for the majority of the year has fallen dramatically. Only 30% of farms in the study adopted a traditional approach that meant cows grazed outdoors in the summer months.

For some countries intensive indoor dairy farming has increased dramatically. In Denmark the percentage of cows with access to outdoor grazing for the majority of the year fell from 85% in 2001 to just 35% in 2010.

UK Director for World Animal Protection, Suzi Morris, said: “Retailers are always reassuring us that they only sell what consumers want to buy, and as regards their milk, consumers have sent a resounding message. World Animal Protection has shown that the UK public want to know where their milk has come from and how it is has been produced. We should all be able to choose milk from cows that are free to graze on pasture for the majority of the year.”

“In the future, an ever increasing number of the UK’s cows could be permanently confined inside sheds, pushed to their physical limits and facing a life that means never grazing on grass. There is currently no clear labelling to tell if your milk has come from cows in intensive indoor dairy farms or from cows that have grazed on pasture. We are now calling on those who supply our milk to give the consumers what they want on their cornflakes: Full Fact Milk.”