Not in my Cuppa meets with Defra

Yesterday Jim Paice MP, Minister of State for Defra, met with representatives from the World Society for the Protection of Animals (WSPA) to discuss plans to build Britain’s first large scale intensive dairy farm.

Support from across parties, Parliamentary Questions and an Early Day Motion has helped keep the planning application, which threatens to change the future of farming forever in the UK, a public and political priority.

The delegation was led by Nic Dakin MP for Scunthorpe (Labour), who said: I have been working with WSPA and their Not in my Cuppa campaigners on this worrying issue of turning our tried and tested dairy industry away from pasture based farming to vast zero-grazing dairy facilities. I hope my constituents will join me in saying no to factory milk from battery cows.

I thank Jim Paice MP for his time and welcome his commitment to examining the scientific evidence coming from current ongoing Defra research. WSPA also put forward their very thorough research examining the pitfalls of massive, intensive dairy farms.

WSPA – and around 100 MPs who have signed EDM 942, tabled by Nic Dakin MP, along with several other MPs from the major political parties – believe the British dairy industry is facing a watershed moment, in the form of the proposed Nocton Dairies 3,770 dairy cow facility in Lincolnshire.

Following two fact-finding trips to the USA – California and Wisconsin – to examine the worst and the so-called best of intensive dairy farming, WSPA firmly believes there should be a wide public and parliamentary debate around the potential impacts of producing milk in this way.

The charity is calling on Defra to:

• Strengthen Defra’s Code on the welfare of cattle to require dairy cows to have access to pasture during the grass-growing season and to discourage the drive to excessive milk yields
• Make it clear that the government supports the UK’s traditional dairy farmers and won’t threaten their livelihoods by allowing a drift towards intensive factory cow systems of milk production
• Introduce a system of labelling to ensure that consumers will never be sold milk from zero-grazing systems without being warned

Speaking for WSPA, Ian Cawsey said: Now is the time for the government to stand up for our existing diary famers who rightly feel under threat from massive mega-dairies. Should intensive dairy factories spread in Britain, they could change our dairy industry and countryside beyond recognition. Were asking Jim Paice MP to represent WSPA and consumer opinion and take the lead in this debate.

A recent Ipsos MORI survey, commissioned by WSPA showed 61% of the British public would not knowingly buy milk from intensive dairies.

Ian added: “WSPA is very thankful for Nic’s commitment to this issue, he was instrumental in setting up this important meeting with Defra and very supportive in the meeting itself. He has ensured this important issue has been brought to public attention and is being raised with Ministers. We are also grateful for the support of other local MPs, Andrew Percy, Martin Vickers and Austin Mitchell who have all signed the Early Day Motion in parliament to back our campaign.”

1) Full list of MPs who table EDM 942:

Nic Dakin MP (Lab – Scunthorpe)

Zac Goldsmith MP (Con – Richmond Park)
Bob Russell MP (Lib Dem – Colchester)

Michael Meacher MP (Lab – Oldham West and Royton)

Alun Michael MP (Lab – Cardiff South and Penarth)

Russell Brown MP (Lab – Dumfries & Galloway)

2) Nocton Dairies want to build an industrial dairy operation that will house 3,770 cows in 22 acres of indoor sheds stretching the length of seven football pitches. The developers admit their objective is to ultimately run a massive 8,100 cow mega-dairy at Nocton, as per their original application at the start of 2010.

3) Participants were told, “There is a proposal for a new dairy farm in the UK, which would produce milk from around eight thousand cows in large indoor dairy sheds.  The cows would spend most of the time indoors, only being able to graze outdoors when they are not able to produce milk.”

About the Ipsos MORI survey:

• Ipsos MORI conducted a nationally representative survey of 2,019 people aged 15+, (interviewed face-to-face in-home across Great Britain on Ipsos MORI’s weekly omnibus [‘Capibus’] survey).
• Fieldwork was conducted from 4-10 June 2010.
• Data is weighted to the known profile of the Great Britain (aged 15+) population

About ‘Not in my cuppa’ (www.notinmycuppa.com):

‘Not in my cuppa’ is the World Society for the Protection of Animals’ campaign against allowing intensive US-style dairy farming to spread in Britain. WSPA strongly believes there is an alternative, more positive future for the UK dairy farming industry, which places good animal welfare at its heart, but can still work for farmers and consumers alike.