Proud to Milk Cows

We are now well into February, and with it we see the third outing of the social media campaign “Febru-Dairy”: a campaign designed to show the world just how much thought, effort, and care goes into putting milk into the nation’s fridges.

I only came across “Febru-Dairy” last year, but was super excited to see some positive images of dairy farming appearing on social media platforms, where we so often see and read absolute horror stories. Unfortunately, there are some cases of animal cruelty, but it so important we show that is not the norm!

Back in first year, I, like most vet students in the same year group, spent my summer visiting different livestock farms for EMS placements, one of which was a beautiful dairy farm at the foot of the Cleveland hills: a farm where I am still milking the cows, three years on.

Being a farmer or farm hand, particularly where dairy cows are concerned, is a stressful, physically demanding job with long, unsociable hours and a pretty slim pay packet to go with it. But the cows want for nothing. They eat well, have a comfy bed to sleep in, and are looked after with proper treatment when they are sick. In many cases they are better looked after than the farmer!

This is why I am proud to be a farm hand, and proud to milk cows. I am proud to don the wellies and waterproofs at 5 o’clock in the morning and join the group of dedicated individuals who give up so much of their time and energy to make sure they have happy cows, and provide the country with milk, butter, and cheese.

So for 29 days, here’s to our dairy farmers. For their 4am alarms, visits to the cows in the middle of the night, for their back aches, empty pockets, and bizarre eating and sleeping patterns: we are grateful!