A Compassionate World

As regular readers will know, I’ve put a lot of focus on the spectre of US-style ‘mega-dairies’ coming to the UK and Europe. This follows the proposal for a several thousand cow mega-dairy in Lincolnshire, UK, where the animals would be kept indoors, unable to graze, for most of their lives. At the same time, we are awaiting a planning proposal to be resubmitted for a large-scale pig farm in Foston, Derbyshire.

The trend toward even larger-scale industrialised farming is a huge concern on a number of levels. On animal welfare, as I’ve said before large-scale per se may not be the issue; however, it often indicates a serious underlying threat to animal welfare.

Overly large ‘mega-dairies’, for example, indicate a direction of travel that has seriously damaging implications for cow welfare and the future of many dairy farmers themselves. Large-scale indoor-based farms will raise wider issues of waste management and other environmental threats and public health risks associated with too many animals in too small a space, often presenting a breeding ground for disease spread. Highly intensive farming, where the animals are disconnected from the land, raises serious challenges and speaks more to the past than to the future of humane and sustainable farming.

Over the coming days or weeks, a planning application is expected from Midland Pig Producers (MPP) for a large-scale farm in Foston. The previous application was to keep 2,500 breeding sows and up to 25,000 pigs and piglets indoors. This original planning application was withdrawn.

Compassion has communicated directly with the proposers of the Foston pig farm and engaged with them in much the same way as we strive to do with others involved in possible areas of interest or problem areas. Compassion has urged MPP to commit to any new development being on a higher welfare basis; at least meeting RSPCA Freedom Food standards and EU laws prohibiting routine tail-docking.

We know from our discussions that the company behind the Foston proposal has been considering meeting higher welfare standards, in particular aiming for RSPCA Freedom Food standards. Nevertheless, the sheer scale of the proposal remains deeply concerning.
It presents a dilemma. If the Foston proposal genuinely incorporates higher welfare, indoor-extensive pig husbandry systems throughout, that would be a good thing. On the other hand, the sheer scale of the original proposal remains concerning on those wider issues that come with divorcing animals and farming from the land.

I sincerely hope that, as we expect, the resubmitted proposal addresses fundamental animal welfare issues, such as the extreme confinement of mothering sows, mutilations and barren environments. Anything less would be unacceptable and would see our legal team mount a strong and vigorous objection.