Organic Milk

Milk has been mass-produced using intensive farming methods since the end of the Second World War. Health professionals encourage us to drink it. The average Britain guzzles over 86 litres of milk each year and children love it, so it makes sense to ensure we are getting our milk from a good quality source.

Organic Milk

More people are willing to dig a bit deeper into their pockets to find the extra few pence (or pounds) to pay for the healthier option, and for many, that means choosing organic produce. Milk is no exception.

OMSCo (the Organic Milk Suppliers Cooperative) confirms milk to be the largest single organic product in the UK. Its increasing availability and falling prices make it a popular choice for the consumer. A pint of organic milk will cost just a few pence more per pint than its non-organic equivalent, and buying multi-litre cartons as many households do, means it works out even cheaper.

Milking Cows

Consumers are increasingly worried about artificial chemicals, antibiotics and pesticides required to prevent disease and maximise milk production. With the average cow being milked to produce the highest yield possible, which can be over 11,000 pints of milk per year (more than 10 times as much as they would naturally produce for their calf), mastitis is common.

Affecting 30 percent of dairy cows, mastitis is a painful infection of the udder routinely treated with antibiotics. The Dairy Council of the United Kingdom states that milk collected from cows treated for mastitis in this way is not sold for human consumption, but some people still have concerns about residues ending up in milk. Although antibiotics are still used in organic dairy farming, they are kept to a minimum and only used when absolutely necessary.

Organic Dairy Farming

A non-organic dairy cow’s diet consists of grass, silage (pickled grass) and hay. Large amounts of protein are required to ensure milk demands are met. One way of achieving this is to supplement the cow’s diet with high protein concentrates. Cows may be fed imported genetically modified cattle feed to keep feeding costs down.

There are strict regulations regarding the feed of organic dairy cows. Genetically modified feed is forbidden. The bulk of an organic dairy cow’s diet is grass, silage, hay and other green plants. If protein concentrates are given to an organic dairy cow, they must not be genetically modified or animal in origin.

The Environment

Modern farming methods involve spraying pesticides and artificial fertilisers on pastures. This has a negative impact on the environment, affecting wildlife and soil quality. Nitrates from fertilisers leach into waterways, leaving water companies with millions of pounds worth of clean up costs each year to ensure the safety of drinking water. Chemical traces of pesticides have been found in milk.

Organic dairy farming does not permit synthetic chemicals to be sprayed on pastures and uses clover as fertiliser. Traditional farming methods, such as crop rotation, help restore the balance of wildlife and improve soil.

Animal Welfare

Animal welfare is a sensitive issue for many consumers. Standards in which animals are kept vary from farm-to-farm. For example, on conventional dairy farms, cows do not have to be given bedding or much room to move. Some farms never allow their cows to graze outside, restricting them to indoor stalls. Calves may be kept isolated from their mothers and experience great distress.

Organic dairy cows spend the spring and summer months grazing on pasture and are housed during the winter. Organic dairy farming requires higher standards of welfare for its animals.

When dairy cows are given nutritious, natural food and a better quality of life, it is reflected in the quality of their milk. Research has shown organic milk contains higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, beta-carotene and other cancer-fighting antioxidants than non-organic milk.

This does necessarily mean non-organic milk is bad. Not all farms are created equally. Animal welfare standards and farming practices vary considerably. Organic dairy farming is nothing new; it is simply geared towards age-old farming methods used before the Second World War.

Organic Standards

If you want to drink organic milk, how can you be sure the milk you drink is produced to organic standards?

Supermarket own-label brands are likely to be supplied by OMSCo. If the OMSCo logo is present, it means a farmer registered with a UK organic certification body supplied the milk. Certification bodies include The Soil Association, Organic Farmers & Growers, The Organic Food Federation and Demeter, all of which demand high organic standards from their members. There are also independent brands which comply with strict organic regulations, such as Rachel's Organic and Yeo Valley.

Privacy Policy © 2011 Sharon Kirby, Freelance Health Writer