The Accidental Smallholder Forum
Community => Coffee Lounge => Topic started by: sagehen on March 19, 2010, 03:39:35 pm
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Plans for a super dairy in Lincolnshire. The arguments against them are not just about how they would ruin the small scale producer, but also the inhumane intensive type farming as well as environmental concerns.
Here is the actual website for the superdairy:
http://noctondairies.co.uk/
and here is the website for what you can do about it:
http://www.ciwf.org.uk/news/beef_and_dairy_farming/not_so_super_dairy_feature.aspx
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done
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ditto
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I also read it in the Lincoln paper .Do you realise how big a 8100 herd would be? I honestly think there is a print error.How long would it take to pass that many cows through a bail.Where are you going to keep and feed them.What are you going to do with all the effluent.What a feed for the Greenies how much gas does 1 cow make ? X 8100 The Cathedral will crumble with the contaminated atmosphere Ohhhhhhhhhh I can see the headlines now ??? ??? ::) ;D ;D ;D :farmer:
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Wizard
Have you noticed just how like sheep British farming is becoming? Where America goes we seem to follow;there are even larger set ups in America.Not good for the animals or for the people farming them. There is a documentary/film Food Inc that illustrates the problems caused by industrial farming. I don't think it is out in the UK yet but is well worth a watch.
Sorry on my soap box again!
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This is horrendous! >:( :(
I'm signing up
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Hello Gavo I don't consider you to be on your soap box at all.My opinion The British Government and DEFRA DO NOT WANT FARMING IN GREAT BRITAIN AT ALLALL THE SET ASIDE THAT NOW APPEARS TO BE ABANDONED the MASSIVE UNNESCESARY DEATH OF HUNDEREDS OF CATTLE SHEEP AND PIGS THE BUILDING OF PROPERTIES ON FARM LAND Lets wait and see when the farming is destroyed how much the French and others want for their food.In the WW2 it was easy to rip up trees and parks to grow food Is it going to be easy to knock down all the building thats been done on prime farm land or knocking holes in the sea wall to flood acres of prime farm land so as the beautiful birds can have a paddle.Where are they paddling now? Its ridiculous The birds were there before and will be after.They adapt much quicker and better than humans ??? :farmer:
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using sand as a bedding? cant see the comfort in that myself, when i worked on a dairy farm in the 80's we always used a straw chopper to blow into individual cubicles, at least straw got some warmth to it...............
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It's such a shame just how niave the British public are in many cases about the state of and direction farming is going .Every day i meet people who still think all their meat is produced out in the fields leading nice lives until slaughter. How far from that reality have we come? It seems to me that the only type of farming actively encouraged is this massive uncaring type.No care for the environment ;no care for the animals no care for the workers ;and no care for the consumer;so long as cheap product is created.But this is not sustainable many orgs are saying we would be better able to feed our planet if we buck the indusrialised trend and turn the clock back slightly.
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At the heart of Nocton Dairies will be the well-being, health and happiness of every single cow
Oh yes, cows bred to produce milk short term but not to survive for more than one or two lactations. Cows are naturally outside grazing animals. How can they justify this, its like the pig torture chambers.
Farming should be as much about animal welfare as profit. And how many other farmers will be put out of business because they will produce cheaper milk. Plus the loss of heathland habitat. Does it mean it is less valuable if they use heathland rather than grassland.
And how much methane will 8,100 cows produce.
Rant over.
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Hello Gavo I don't consider you to be on your soap box at all.My opinion The British Government and DEFRA DO NOT WANT FARMING IN GREAT BRITAIN AT ALLALL THE SET ASIDE THAT NOW APPEARS TO BE ABANDONED the MASSIVE UNNESCESARY DEATH OF HUNDEREDS OF CATTLE SHEEP AND PIGS THE BUILDING OF PROPERTIES ON FARM LAND Lets wait and see when the farming is destroyed how much the French and others want for their food.In the WW2 it was easy to rip up trees and parks to grow food Is it going to be easy to knock down all the building thats been done on prime farm land or knocking holes in the sea wall to flood acres of prime farm land so as the beautiful birds can have a paddle.Where are they paddling now? Its ridiculous The birds were there before and will be after.They adapt much quicker and better than humans ??? :farmer:
I don't agree George. It's not in Defra's best interest to stop farming in Great Britain - their very existence relies on farming, just as the NSPCC only exists because there are children being abused, so it's not exactly clever to eradicate farming is it? Besides, with all the consciousness about food air miles and imported food, I doubt that the Government is anti-farming as well. With regards to conservation of natural environments and protection of species, that isn't the same really the same issue as constructing and allowing a superdairy to be built. Farming shouldn’t be the opposite of conservation – I think there are many farms that realise that both can co-exist in harmony. It doesn’t require a lot of effort to devote some space for wild animals and birds, unless those animals actually pose a direct threat to the farm animals.
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I think the Government should pay all farmers who have high welfare standards (such as all of us!) an annual payment.
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Since when has this current lot and DEFRA done anything clever for the Farming Community sage?I include smallholders in this ??? :farmer:
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Well true, but I can dream........
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Hello Miri Has the old saying "If wishes were horses even beggars would ride" I know you wrote dream but I know I subscribe under the name Wizard but Gordon's Gang are SPELL proof ??? :( :o ??? :farmer:
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;D ;)
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I am off to Ruskington on Sunday to look at a Land Rover with David.I shall come back via Nocton and Bardney to Wragby Bluddi L Wiz will be closed on Sunday Drat! Then I'll go up to Hainton and into Sixhills.Stop at David's for coffee and come home via Binbrook.That should make a nice morning out don't you think ;D :farmer:
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Sounds good to me.
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Id love to think that what the people of Britain do willmake any difference to this idea but it wont you know.
Chances are that they already have the go ahead for this and asking the public about it is fluff to apease us.
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Did you watch Country File? There is so much for and against but I do feel that milk from british herds must be better than from Bulgaria where we have no control over animals or the milk.All the carbon footprint persons will have much to say? :farmer:
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Just watched Countryfile and didn't like the bloke from Nocton Dairies at all. Did anyone notice his answer when asked about the welfare of the animals? He started going on about all the cows wearing collars so they knew who was who - well woopy doo. The man missed an enormous opportunity to do some positive PR for the dairy - as far as I'm concerned he totally blew it.
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I didn't see Countryfile tonight - had I known this would be on I would have watched it. I haven't posted on this thread before as I'm finding it a really difficult issue to get my head round.
I think the genie is out of the bottle with the dairy industry and I do feel a bit uncomfortable with some of the stuff that goes on BUT I don't think it's anywhere near as bad as pigs and poultry and the industry itself is trying to rectify some of the problems like infertility, bad feet and therefore short lives of dairy cows. I've been on a few dairy farms recently and I really don't believe that the conditions that the cows are kept in are bad.
On the farms I've been on, the cows are loose housed in light, well ventilated sheds so can move around, the floors are kept clean, the beds are rubber with sawdust, they have access to good quality feed that maintains their body condition and company of their own kind. OK, they aren't at grass but I don't believe their behaviour is that much different loose housed to being at grass. The cows generally wear pedometers so that the dairyman can monitor their behaviour and milk yield to pick up any potential problems quickly - I don't think that's a bad thing. And the farmers have a genuine affection for the animals - they know them, and their mammys.
I'm not saying I want British milk at all costs and I suppose I'd rather it was 81 family farms with 100 cows, but if that's not possible, maybe this option isn't so bad.
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Rosemary I think you are right cows are a different thing to other animals in respect that if they are not well kept they are not very cost effective.There was a woman on who no matter what was done she would be anti She was definitely a NIMBY.This project is at an estimated cost of 5 million quid and will bring work to a good number of people indirectly as well as the resident vet and 80 workers. Like farmers to grow Lucerne etc; The matter of effluent was raised The cows are to be kept on sand beds and the sand washed to separate the dung from the sand and reused.They propose to use methane digesters to generate enough electricity for themselves and a 1000 homes as well.They visited a couple of farms with very large herds and the cows looked very well and happy but there is always some folk who are never happy.Rosemary I now admit I don't know about but several people on here talk about missed programs they can get a replay on the computer from BBC but I don't know how perhaps someone will come on and tell you. :D :farmer:
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I've just looked on www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer and typed in Countryfile and last night's episode is there. Going to watch it now.
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However well they look after them they are still inside. They cant graze or feel the sun on them. Its not farming its factory.
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One of the things I didn't like was the way the cows were moved around on a conveyor belt....Did I really see that right?