Cubicle-style dairy housing will not compromise animal welfare, but the New Zealand dairy industry needs to protect its green image, says a Marlborough dairy farmer. Havelock dairy farmer Tony Sorensen, who farmed cows indoors in Europe for 13 years, said he preferred grazing cows outside because it was the “natural way” for cows to be farmed. “Indoor farming doesn’t compromise anything when it comes to their wellbeing”.

Mr Sorensen farmed cows in Denmark indoors from 1979 to 1992 before moving to New Zealand.

Proposals by three companies for resource consents for 16 new dairy farm developments in the Mackenzie Basin, managing nearly 18,000 cows housed in cubicle stables have been lodged with Environment Canterbury (ECan). Under the plans, cows will be confined in cubicle stables 24 hours a day for eight months of the year, from March to October, and allowed outside for 12 hours a day from November to February.

Mr Sorensen said cows were farmed indoors in Europe because weather conditions were not kind to animals. In some places in New Zealand, cows would also prefer to be indoors at times during the year, he said. “You do sometimes feel sorry for cows in places like Southland when it’s raining, cold and miserable.” However, despite his positive experiences with indoor dairy farming, he was still concerned that New Zealand’s green dairy image could take a hit. “It doesn’t matter what we as farmers think – it’s what consumers think. If we get the wrong message out it will be the same as piggeries or battery hens.”

Mr Sorensen said indoor farming was a high-input system that was “very expensive” to set up. However, it did allow farmers to use genetics and feed cows the right amount to maximise milk production. It might also open up the opportunity for fully robotic milking, he said. However, he questioned whether high input costs would wipe out the bottom line of an indoor dairy scheme. “I don’t believe they would have a better return. “Grass is the cheapest thing you can feed cows. It’s a low-cost system and that’s what New Zealand is known for.”

Source: Marlborough Express

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