UK Dairy Farmer Survey on Production Practices and Attitudes Towards Grass-based and Indoor Systems, 2018-2019

Shortall, O.K. (2022). UK Dairy Farmer Survey on Production Practices and Attitudes Towards Grass-based and Indoor Systems, 2018-2019. [Data Collection]. Colchester, Essex: UK Data Service. 10.5255/UKDA-SN-855220

This is a social science research project exploring farmer, public and stakeholder views about indoor, pasture based and high input dairy production systems in the UK and Ireland. There are the debates about the environment, economic and animal welfare implications of pasture-based, high input and indoor dairy systems. The UK and Ireland make for a useful comparison because they face different challenges: the Irish dairy sector is grass-based but there are concerns the sector will compromise what is seen as its marketing and economic advantage by increasing yields through increasing feed inputs. The UK sector is diverse, including a proportion of year-round housed farms, which is a contentious practice among the public. This project explores values and decision making around different system to shed light on debates about the future of dairy farming.

Data description (abstract)

The results of a survey about UK dairy farmers' production practices and views of grass-based and indoor systems. The survey was disseminated between August 2018 and February 2019 online through social media (twitter and facebook), farming and local press and agricultural organisations and in the form of a paper survey posted to 909 Scottish farmers. Postal addresses for Scottish farmers were obtained from the Scottish government. There were 371 responses - 254 from Scotland, 76 from England, 26 from Northern Ireland and 15 from Wales. There were 237 responses to the postal survey in Scotland (additional Scottish surveys were filled in online) and 11 surveys were returned stating that the dairy farm was no longer in business, giving a response rate of 26%. The terms ‘grass-based’ system is used to refer to systems where the cows graze for part of the year. These systems may involve year-round grazing but usually involve a period of housing the cows in winter. An indoor system means that the cows are housed all year-round and do not graze.The aim of the survey was to explore farmers' current practices and their views on the economic, animal welfare and environmental aspects of different systems.

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