| Since the end of the Second World War, milk has | | | | impact of this practice is rife, affecting wildlife and soil |
| been mass-produced using intensive farming methods. | | | | quality. Nitrates from fertilisers leach into our |
| It has been touted as good for us by health | | | | waterways, leaving water companies with millions of |
| professionals and the dairy industry for decades, the | | | | pounds worth of clean up costs each year in order to |
| average Britain guzzles over 86 litres of it each year | | | | ensure the safety of drinking water.Organic dairy |
| and children love it, so it makes sense to ensure we | | | | farming does not permit synthetic chemicals to be |
| are getting it from a good quality source.More and | | | | used on pasture and relies on clover as fertiliser. Its |
| more people are willing to dig a bit deeper into their | | | | implementation of more traditional farming methods, |
| pockets to find the extra few pence (or pounds) to | | | | such as crop rotation, helps to restore the balance of |
| pay for the healthier option, and for many, that means | | | | wildlife and improve soil.Animal welfare is a topic that |
| going organic. Milk is no exception.OMSCo (the Organic | | | | hits a nerve with many people. Standards in which |
| Milk Suppliers Cooperative) confirms milk to be the | | | | animals are kept vary from farm-to-farm. For example, |
| largest single organic product in the UK. Its increasing | | | | on conventional dairy farms, cows do not have to be |
| availability and falling prices make it a popular choice | | | | given bedding or much room; some farms never allow |
| for the consumer. On average, a pint of organic milk | | | | their cows to graze outside and instead they remain |
| will cost just 14 pence more per pint than its | | | | inside in stalls and the grass is brought to them. Calves |
| non-organic counterpart, and buying multi-litre cartons | | | | may be kept isolated from their mothers and other |
| as many households do, means it works out even | | | | calves and thus experience great distress.Organic |
| cheaper. Supermarket shelves reserved for it are | | | | dairy cows spend the spring and summer months |
| often bare, reflecting its demand.So why the sudden | | | | grazing on pasture and are housed comfortably during |
| mad rush for the organic white stuff? Consumers | | | | the winter with bedding and plenty of space. Calves |
| have become increasingly worried about artificial | | | | are allowed to socialise which is part of their natural |
| chemicals, antibiotics and pesticides that are required to | | | | behaviour. Organic dairy farming requires higher |
| prevent disease and maximise milk production. With | | | | standards of welfare for its animals.When dairy cows |
| the average cow being excessively milked to produce | | | | are given nutritious, natural food and a better quality of |
| the highest yield possible, which can be over 11,000 | | | | life, this reflects in the quality of their milk. Research has |
| pints of milk per year (more than 10 times as much as | | | | shown organic milk contains higher levels of omega 3 |
| they would naturally produce for their calf), mastitis is | | | | fatty acids, beta-carotene and other cancer-fighting |
| common.Affecting 30 per cent of dairy cows, mastitis | | | | antioxidants than non-organic milk. Organic milk is more |
| is a painful infection of the udder routinely treated with | | | | natural as it does not contain potentially harmful |
| antibiotics. The Dairy Council of the United Kingdom | | | | pesticide residues or originate from cows fed |
| states that milk collected from cows treated for | | | | genetically modified food.This is not to say non-organic |
| mastitis in this way is not sold for human consumption, | | | | milk is bad. Not all farms are created equal; animal |
| but some people still have concerns about residues | | | | welfare standards and farming practices vary |
| ending up in milk.Although antibiotics are still used in | | | | considerably. Organic dairy farming is nothing new; it is |
| organic dairy farming, they are kept to a minimum and | | | | simply geared towards age-old farming methods used |
| only used when absolutely necessary, with priority | | | | before the Second World War, and not all organic |
| being given to homeopathic and herbal alternatives.The | | | | farms adhere to the same principles.If you want to |
| diet of dairy cows consists of grass, silage (pickled | | | | drink milk that is organic because you believe it is |
| grass), and hay. Large amounts of protein are required | | | | healthier or simply for your own peace of mind, how |
| to ensure milk demands can be met. One way of | | | | can you be sure the milk you drink is produced to high |
| achieving this is to supplement the diet with high protein | | | | organic standards?Supermarket own-label brands are |
| concentrates that can be given in variable proportions, | | | | likely to be supplied by OMSCo. If the OMSCo logo is |
| sometimes at unnaturally high levels. This often takes | | | | displayed on a pint it means a farmer registered with a |
| the form of imported genetically modified cattle feed, | | | | UK organic certification body has produced the milk. |
| which helps to keep feeding costs down.There are | | | | Certification bodies include The Soil Association, |
| strict regulations in place regarding the feed of organic | | | | Organic Farmers & Growers, The Organic Food |
| dairy cows, and GM is a no-go area. Instead the bulk | | | | Federation and Demeter, all of which demand high |
| of the diet is made up of grass, silage, hay and other | | | | organic standards of their members. There are also |
| green plants rather than concentrates. Whenever | | | | independent brands, which comply with strict organic |
| concentrates are given they must be GM-free and not | | | | regulations; a couple to look out for include Rachel's |
| animal derived.It stands to reason that whatever cows | | | | Organic and Yeo Valley.Some farming principles are |
| eat, ends up in their milk; animals absorb chemicals just | | | | still the same throughout organic and non-organic milk |
| like humans. Pesticides and artificial fertilisers are | | | | production, but if you have decided to go down the |
| sprayed on pastures and chemical traces of pesticides | | | | organic route it would seem to be a step in the right |
| have been found in milk. The negative environmental | | | | direction. |