Dairy cattle - how can you help?

Many people are probably not aware of the key welfare issues facing dairy cattle when they buy their milk or cheese. Images of contented ‘free-range’ cows happily chewing the cud in the sunshine are the sorts of images usually shown when milk is advertised. Unfortunately, these images are not always an accurate reflection of real-life dairy farming. Here's how you can help make a difference:
 

Look for the label...
...if you eat dairy products and are concerned about welfare then please look out for products carrying the RSPCA’s Freedom Food logo. Freedom Food is the RSPCA’s farm assurance and food labelling scheme that aims to ensure that animals are reared, handled, transported and slaughtered according to strict RSPCA welfare standards developed and monitored by the RSPCA. The Freedom Food website provides information on where to buy Freedom Food labelled food. If you can’t find Freedom Food dairy products, then look for organic.

If more consumers insist on higher welfare products, more supermarkets will want to stock them, which will encourage more farmers to improve their farming practices and ultimately more farm animals will benefit. 

Join our campaigns...
...to improve the welfare of as many farm animals as possible, at every stage of their lives. Please support our campaigns for farm animals.


If you are concerned about farm animal welfare, you might be interested to learn about the welfare of some other types of farm animals.