This would not only encourage improved welfare, but also take some of the heat out of the spur to over-production given by the availability of generous headage payments. CIWF firmly believes that all CAP payments should take the form of area payments rather than headage payments. The drive to ever higher yields per cow has led to an increased incidence in dairy cows of lameness, mastitis and early culling. These are systems in which cows are never allowed out to graze, but instead are kept throughout their lives indoors, often in extremely barren conditions. CIWF believes that the new dairy cow premium should not be available for farmers who operate zero-grazing systems.
Many dairy cows spend part of their lives outdoors and part indoors.
In some cases, when housed indoors, they are not given any straw or other bedding. Instead they are kept on slatted or bare floors without bedding, which can lead to lameness and other injuries. Other welfare problems arise when indoor-housed cows are tethered, which severely restricts their ability to move and exercise. In the past, problems have arisen when the beef special premium has found its way into the hands of producers rearing bulls for bull-fighting. CIWF believes that a clear provision should be added to the proposed Regulation to prevent this from happening.