So now we have moved Lucy to the far quarter of the field.
Beattie has been let out of the barn and is in the paddock with the two ewe lambs for company
We await the dreaded letter from The APHA but until then Lucy and Beattie must be kept apart, although they can see each other and call to each other across the field. It seems that the Bovine TB test is a clunky and antiquated way of finding out if a cow has contracted TB, there are many false positives and possibly as many as 60 per cent of cattle who react do not have the disease. There is work ongoing to develop a better test but in the meantime Beattie must go.
She has had five wonderful years at The Gables, given birth to two calves and been allowed to suckle them for a year each time after their birth.
Beattie has been cosseted and overfed with sweet hay, fresh pasture, buckets of concentrates and plenty of greens from the garden and windfall apples and pears. By contrast commercial dairy cows are separated from their calves within days and mother and calf are in severe distress. The commercial dairy cow is culled by the age of six (or earlier),worn out after a miserable and unnatural life. Beef cows usually remain with their calves for up to a year when they are then sold on for fattening. Sadly, now, more and more beef cows are being raised on a zero grazing system without regular access to pasture and a healthy, outdoor environment. Big is profitable and small is not so it makes economic sense to raise animals and crops on a large scale. Bad for the animals, bad for the environment and bad for our souls. Since I am on a rant………nearly fifty per cent of egg laying hens are kept in “enriched”cages in this country. ENRICHED means that they have slightly more space in which to move than the battery cages but, please look at Dr Google, it is inhumane and cruel beyond belief. Hens, like cows, pigs and sheep, need to be outdoors, able to range and to socialise with other creatures. We keep hens and they have personalities, pecking orders, likes and dislikes (they love pecking at fallen pears, apples and plums in the orchard) and they are wonderful creatures who give us delicious eggs. Don’t be fooled by “barn raised hens” or even many free range hens. Do your homework.
I suppose we must understand that if we want compassionate and sustainable animal husbandry and eco friendly food production we will have to pay more for our food. Easy for me to say because I can afford to pay but can we, as a society, live with the truth about farming? It’s a debate that has begun and let’s hope we can find a way forward for all of us – rich and poor – for the environment and for the animals.
Rant over…….sorry!
