Rise of 'mega-dairies' pushing nature to breaking point - The Wildlife Trusts

Tighter rules on intensive dairy farms and increased support for farmers to cut pollution, restore nature and build a more resilient sector are urgently needed, say The Wildlife Trusts

The rise of ‘mega-dairies’ is pushing nature to breaking point, according to a new report from The Wildlife Trusts published today (Monday 28 September).

The report, Doing Dairy Differently, warns that the shift towards larger, more intensive dairy systems is putting growing pressure on the land, water and wider environment on which farms, people and wildlife depend.

More than 40 mega-dairies – very large-scale dairy farms – exist across the UK, the largest housing 2,600 cows. Yet unlike intensive pig and poultry units, large dairy and beef farms are not subject to the same government monitoring, meaning their size and environmental impacts are left unchecked.

The number of farms keeping cattle indoors year-round has also more than doubled over the past decade, increasing the volume of slurry that must be stored and managed, while existing infrastructure is failing to keep pace.

Analysis by The Wildlife Trusts of recent Environment Agency figures calculated that dairy activity was responsible for 71 per cent of serious agricultural pollution incidents in England alone, damaging rivers, contributing to algal blooms, reducing oxygen levels and harming wildlife.

However, the new report argues that the barrier to a more sustainable dairy sector is not a lack of good practice, but a supermarket-profits led system that too often rewards volume over resilience, pushes risk back onto farmers, and fails to account for the damage caused by pollution, imported feed and declining natural resources.