Animal welfare
The European Dairy industry fully endorses and supports animal welfare.
The European dairy industry relies on healthy animals and well-kept dairy livestock.
The European dairy industry processes milk and dairy ingredients in around 12,000 plants in the EU and partners on a daily basis with around 700,000 farmers across the whole Union. As dairy cows are the core pillars of the economic, social and environmental strength of the dairy sector, the animals giving the milk have long been deserving our particular care and attention. The dairy industry confirms that healthy cattle, as well as sheep, goats and buffaloes assure the sustainability of our sector. Animal care is essential to produce safe and high-quality milk, just as it is essential to assure farm productivity and profitability.
The essence of the well-being of dairy animals is followed when an animal is healthy, comfortable, well-fed and has access to safe clean drinking water, is safe, able to express normal behaviour and is not suffering unpleasant states such as pain, fear and distress. Such animal care practices include healthy living conditions, nutritious and adapted diets and good medical care.
EDA naturally fully endorses the internationally accepted “Five Freedoms” as applied to animals and works to ensure that its suppliers’ farming practices meet these standards, and that they commit to take the necessary measures to ensure that their animals are:
- Free from hunger, thirst and malnutrition
- Free from fear and distress
- Free from physical and thermal discomfort
- Free from pain, injury and disease
- Free to express normal patterns of animal behaviour
Some examples of activities taken by European dairy companies to ensure dairy animal welfare: