Dark Side of Dairy report 2014

AreportOvum pick-up: unfertilised eggs are collected from‘donor’ cows by a needle inserted through the wall ofthe vagina and into the ovary (53). According to Defra:‘Repeated epidural injections arenecessary for this procedure and theycan cause welfare problems for theanimals, such as severe pain in thetailhead and lower back’. (53)Surrogate cows receiving the embryos, whetherdirect from the ‘donor’ cow or from in vitrofertilization, are artificially brought into heat (45). A‘gun’ is then used to insert the embryo high into theuterus, a procedure requiring great skill which canonly be acquired with practice (45). The use of anepidural is compulsory (53).Ultrasound scanningOver the past decade the use of rectal ultrasound todetect pregnancy has become common on Britishdairy farms (40). This involves inserting a long probe(about the thickness of a finger) into the cow’srectum until it lies over her uterus (40). Carelessinsertion or removal of the probe can damage therectal tissue and internal organs, causing great pain(40). Both the Royal College of Veterinary Surgeons(RCVS) and the Government’s Farm Animal WelfareCouncil (FAWC) have expressed concerns over nonveterinariansperforming the procedure (5). Despitethese concerns Defra still permit non-veterinarians tocarry out per rectum ultrasound (54).CalvingConcerns have been raised by the FAWC and theFood Ethics Council (FEC) over the use of embryos orsemen from large cattle breeds in smaller recipientcows who will have difficulty giving birth to them (40,45). This mismatch can result in severe injuries to thecow during calving, including internal haemorrhage,nerve paralysis and pelvic fracture (45, 55). Accordingto the National Animal Disease Information Service(NADIS) calving difficulties are the cause of 46 percent of ‘downer cow’ cases – when a cow is unable tostand up – on British dairy farms (55).‘Downed’ cows require immediate attention toprevent injuries, which may only be temporary, fromcausing permanent damage (40). A cow may ‘godown’ because of temporary nerve paralysis causedCows who have suffered injuries during calving, such asnerve paralysis, may have hobbles attached to their hind legsto hold them in place so the cow can carry on being milkedby calving difficulties or simply fatigue from hergruelling workload, but if left recumbent for severalhours permanent damage can be caused to her legs,specifically nerves and muscles (due to her 700kgbody cutting off the blood supply) (51, 56). Severaldifferent types of lifting gear are used to get ‘downed’cows on their feet again. These include (56):l Tail liftl Nets/slings/cradles/harnessesl Hoists clamped to the cow’s hip bonesl Inflatable bagsl Flotation tanksHowever, if used incorrectly all the above can domore harm than good to the cow (56).Hobbles and shackles are also commonly attached tothe hind legs of cows who have suffered muscle ornerve damage during calving and would not be ableto stand unaided. If the farmer were to cull a cowwho was injured during calving he would lose thelarge quantity of milk which she was about toproduce. Injured cows are therefore often forced tocarry on, even when in pain, for seven to eightmonths until their milk yield drops and they are killed.Dairy cows impregnated with large continental beefbreeds such as Belgian Blue, Charolais or Limousin aresometimes unable to give birth naturally and mustundergo caesarean section (37, 40). In order toprevent the need for this major surgery, farmers usinglarge continental breeds to sire calves may inducecalving before the cow reaches full-term (40), whichobviously causes enormous stress to the cow and calf.Photo©Rob Hill15