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Have you ever wondered about life on a dairy farm? Read on to learn how farmers and their dairy cows produce milk for you to enjoy.
All About Dairy Farming
Have you ever wondered about life on a dairy farm?
We drink around 5 billion litres of milk in Britain each year - the equivalent of 2,000 Olympic-size swimming pools or enough to drink a glass of milk every day for 54 million years.
Milk production begins with the dairy cow - the single most important component of the farm. The farmers on all 13,000 of Britain's dairy farms make sure their cows are given the best possible care with nutritious feed, plenty of water and spacious barns and pastures.
British dairy cows wear ear tags with a unique number which can also be found on the special cattle passports that farmers keep for each cow. The system helps farmers to log important information such as dates of births and details of where the cows have been throughout their lives.
Matt Dobbs, dairy farm vet, says:
The best thing about being a farm vet is the variety of
the job. No two days are the same - one day I could be helping with
a calving and the next I might be working with a farmer to develop
his herd health plan.
The most invigorating part of the job is really getting to know the farmer and his aspirations for his cows. Helping him to achieve those by making sure his animals are always healthy is a privilege.
Watch the 'moovie' on the left to find out more.
Fact or Fiction
There are 500 cows in the average British dairy herd
Explore the dairy farm
Here's your opportunity to explore a typical British dairy farm. Click on different areas to find out more about them.
News and press
Members of the press requiring information about dairy farming
in Britain should contact the DairyCo press office.
News and
press | Email the press office