Organic milk: 8 reasons why it’s better than non-organic dairy

Organic milk sales are on the rise. But still only a tiny proportion of consumers opt for organic over non-organic. One of the biggest barriers for people choosing organic remains the shelf price. We don’t generally factor in the environment and welfare costs when we’re rushing round the supermarket (but that’s another article).

However, a litre of organic milk can costs only about 30 pence more than conventional milk, making it a great place to start with switching to products with less chemicals in them.

Especially as documentaries such as the BBC Panorama episode A Cow’s Life, The True Cost of Milk? show how awful the intensive dairy farming industry can be.

The UK dairy industry says it has some of the highest animal welfare standards in the world. Nevertheless, these are far below the threshold of what most of us would consider to be anywhere near how we would hope cows are treated.

Panorama revealed that lameness is 30% among British dairy cattle, because the cows are forced to stand on hard concrete while being milked twice a day. They’re standing while they feed for 6-8 hours, because they need to eat enough to produce a staggering amount of milk – up to 24 litres of milk each, which is about 40% higher than was expected of them 30 years ago.

It’s common for cows to burn out after 4 or 5 years in so-called ‘conventional’ systems. Yet, they can live more than three times as long in a genuinely high-welfare system.

The show’s conclusion suggested that the low cost being paid to farmers is one of the reasons standards are being driven down. As consumers, we can demand better:

“Consumer pressure is so important because ultimately, unfortunately, money talks and the industry will do whatever is necessary to ensure that people will buy their products.”

Here’s 9 reasons why organic milk is better for the cows, the farmers and for people drinking milk.

Organic milk: 8 reasons why it’s worth it

1. Bovaer® is not permitted in organic milk

You may have seen the concerns about dairy company Arla trialling Bovaer, a feed additive aimed at reducing methane emissions from cows, in the headlines last year. These are not permitted for use in organic milk, with organic control body The Soil Association stating:

Soil Association organic standards stipulate that all ingredients/components of a feed additive must be actively approved for use and be deemed safe and nutritionally useful for the animal. The main components that make up Bovaer® are not included in the list of approved products/compounds and as a result, Bovaer® would not be permitted under organic standards and for use in organic farming.

Organic dairy companies, such as Yeo Valley, are not intensive dairy systems. Instead of looking to use additives to reduce emissions they say they: “rely on the natural holistic systems of farming organically“. You can read more about their organic approach, here.

2. Better animal welfare

“The only way you can guarantee that the milk you drink comes from cows that live outside and graze grass throughout the spring/summer/autumn seasons is to buy organic,” The Woodhorn Group’s managing director John Pitts, a fourth generation farmer, tell us as we walk around their organic farm.

“The mega intensive approach to dairying where cows are kept in doors for 365 days of the year enables milk to be produced more and more cheaply but at what expense to the animal?

The welfare of the animals in our charge drives every decision we make – we believe a happy cow is a healthy cow.”

2. Routine antibiotics are banned

The organic approach to herd health is one of ‘prevention rather than cure’ with the routine use of antibiotics banned.

“All of our animals are, from birth, fed an organic diet and GM feeds are totally rejected,” says Pitts.

3. Wildlife on the farm is encouraged

Wildlife is generally 50 per cent more abundant on organic farms because farmers do not use artificial fertilisers or pesticides on their pastures. They seek to maximise the biodiversity on their farms.

A cow has a natural lifespan of 20 years or more. However, cows reared in intensive dairy farming systems are often exhausted and culled at four years old. This is because they have spent most, or all, of their lives indoors and are chronically lame or infertile, reports Compassion In World Farming.

4. Better for local communities

World Animal Protection found evidence of high ammonia levels and overwhelming smells from near a large indoor dairy in Carmarthen, Wales, that were suspected of causing conjunctivitis and a rise in asthma among local families.

5. It can reduce eczema in babies

Dutch government funded research showed that mothers who consumed organic (instead of non-organic) dairy products had more beneficial nutrients in their breast-milk. Also, breast-feeding infants up to two-years old had 36% reduced incidences of eczema.

6. It helps maintain a healthier heart

Semi-skimmed and whole organic milk has 68% higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids – which help to maintain a healthy heart – than non-organic milk.

7. It’s better for your immune system

Organic milk has more vitamin E and beta-carotene than non-organic milk, which are essential for a healthy immune system, according to studies by Glasgow and Liverpool Universities.

8. Organic milk is fairer for farmers

Organic milk is less impacted by global fluctuations in price, according to The Organic Milk Suppliers Co-operative. As costs for machinery, feed, and specialist labour become more vulnerable to global market fluctuations, advocates of organic farming argue that it is a more financially sustainable way to operate. This is because cows largely feed on grass (free) instead of importing grains (which fluctuate and can be expensive).