Yorkshire Forward Column: Animal welfare is key to dairy profits – and help is at hand for farmers

During the past decade the profitability of dairy farming has been in decline. According to DairyCo data the average gross profit margin on dairy farms was £933 per cow in 1997, and in 2007 this had fallen to £696 per cow.

Even though dairy cow profit margins are declining, their productivity has been increasing and as a result they have grown larger – both the cows and the herds – and now require a higher standard of management in order to maintain their health and welfare.

In November last year Yorkshire Forward commissioned a report from Bishopton Veterinary Group based in Ripon. The report looked at how improvements to a farm's infrastructure, which exceed legislative requirements and standard agricultural practice, can deliver improvements in the health and welfare of dairy cattle.

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In addition to this, the recently published Farm Animal Welfare Council (FAWC 2009) report on dairy cow welfare highlights lameness, mastitis, which is the inflammation of the udders, and infertility as the three areas of greatest welfare concern.

By improving animal health and welfare a farm's viability can be improved. While the standard of health and welfare is influenced by a range of factors, it is widely accepted that the environment in which livestock are managed has a significant impact.

But on many farms the rate of improvement in farm infrastructure has not kept pace with the needs of the modern dairy cow.

In response to this Yorkshire Forward has developed a package through the EU-supported Rural Development Programme for England (RDPE) to support the dairy sector. It encourages capital investment over and above standard practice for animal health and welfare.

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The new Dairy Farm Infrastructure: Animal Health and Welfare funding package is offering grants from 25,000 upwards to dairy farmers in Yorkshire and Humber. This initiative is funded under the Rural Enterprise Investment Programme, part of the RDPE. It aims to help farms meet the additional costs associated with exceptional welfare standards.

The Dairy Farm Infrastructure: Animal Health and Welfare funding package complements other Yorkshire Forward activity already underway to support the dairy sector in Yorkshire and Humber through existing RDPE programmes.

It was launched at the beginning of March and already there has been a huge response with expressions of interest totalling 2m to-date. Applying is a competitive process and only the highest standard of proposals will be supported.

To find out more about the funding package or any of the other support available through RDPE visit www.york shire-forward.com/rural