When you buy eggs, the packaging tells you whether the hens that laid them were free range. But when you buy a pint of milk, the equivalent information isn’t available – despite the fact that scores of cattle farms in the UK keep cows confined indoors 24/7.
This article was written by Andrew Wasley and originally published by The Bureau Of Investigative Journalism.
Now, after we revealed a rise in the farms housing so-called “battery cattle” in the UK, campaigners have called for change. They argue that milk and cheese should carry similar welfare labelling to eggs, giving consumers greater choice over where their money goes.
“Most consumers would be shocked to discover that some dairy products can come from cows permanently confined on industrial-scale units,” Chris Platt, co-founder of the Conservative Animal Welfare Foundation, told us. “We believe the public has a right to honest food labelling, so consumers can understand how animals were raised and support higher welfare British farming.”
Edie Bowles, executive director at the Animal Law Foundation, a legal charity, said: “A single retailer can draw its milk from a pool [of many] suppliers. In practice, this makes it close to impossible for consumers to know where the product they are buying came from. Consumers, when given clear information, opt for higher-welfare options. There is no such opportunity for dairy products.”
Our investigation found that many dairy farmers had been forced to scale up their production in response to economic pressures. The trend towards more intensive farming has raised concerns over welfare, pollution and the squeezing-out of smaller farms.
Many of these intensive dairy farms supply major supermarkets. And this has fuelled the calls for mandatory welfare or other “method of production” labelling for milk and cheese products. (Waitrose and M&S are among the few UK supermarket chains to guarantee that all of their fresh milk comes from cattle allowed to graze for parts of the year.)
“The way animal agriculture is portrayed often contrasts with the reality of animal life on farms,” said Bowles.
Her colleagues found that the vast majority of producers used imagery, videos or drawings of animals living outdoors on their websites or products. In reality, 85% of animals are raised on industrial farms.
The Foundation also told us it was considering the legal ramifications of this apparent lack of transparency. It said misleading practices that could affect a consumer’s choice are prohibited under the Digital Markets, Competition and Consumers Act 2024.
Hayley Campbell-Gibbons, chief executive of the Royal Association of British Dairy Farmers, said: “Unlike sectors like pigs and poultry, there is no officially agreed definition of ‘free range’ when it comes to dairy production, in part due to it being difficult to differentiate it from normal industry practice, where in the majority of cases cows are provided with access to pasture during the traditional grazing season.”
Judith Bryans, chief executive of Dairy UK, which represents milk processors like Arla and Muller, said a clear label might not give consumers the full story. “Farmers must retain the flexibility to make decisions in their animals’ best interests,” she said. “A simple label on any farm system risks oversimplifying these complex judgements.”
Supermarket promises
Calls for mandatory welfare labelling are getting louder in Westminster too. Earlier this year, a group of MPs and members of the House of Lords wrote to the Department for Environment Food and Rural Affairs (Defra) calling on the government to bring forward mandatory, clear and consistent animal welfare labelling on meat products. They also requested stronger enforcement against misleading claims in food marketing.
The letter said fairer labelling would “empower consumers, reward responsible farmers, and advance animal welfare”. It also warned that misleading and inconsistent labelling is “preventing shoppers from making informed choices and undermining animal welfare.”
Sarah Dyke, MP for Glastonbury and Somerton and the Liberal Democrats’ rural affairs spokesperson, coordinated the letter to the government. She said: “People want to buy food that matches their values, but right now it’s too easy for shoppers to be misled by vague welfare claims”.
