Number of new farms applying outdoor grazing is growing

The number of dairy farms putting the cows out into the meadows again this year for the first time is growing. An inventory of dairy companies shows that over 350 dairy farmers apply some form of outdoor grazing at their farms this season, whereas they previously kept their cows in the sheds all year through.

The increase of the number of so-called ‘new outdoor grazers’ is a result of the actions taken by parties in the dairy chain to stimulate outdoor grazing in the dairy farming sector. For instance, dairy companies pay premiums to dairy farmers who put their cows out into the meadows and they introduce more products made from meadow milk into the market. A total of 66 parties are working on promoting outdoor grazing on the initiative of the Dutch Federation of Agriculture and Horticulture Netherlands and the Dutch Dairy Association. Apart from dairy farmers and dairy companies, the government, supermarket chains, banks, cattle feed suppliers and various social organisations are involved in this as well.

Growth of new farms applying outdoor grazing

‘Our joint efforts to stimulate outdoor grazing at dairy farms are bearing fruit’, according to Kees Romijn, chairman of the Dairy Farming department of the Dutch Federation of Agriculture and Horticulture. ‘We first managed to stop the declining trend of the last few years. We expect that the number of farms applying outdoor grazing will further increase in the year 2016. It is important that together we make sure that the image of cows grazing in the meadows remains characteristic for the Dutch landscape. This is of major importance for the social acceptability of dairy farming.’

Therefore the dairy sector is surprised about the decision of Milieudefensie (Dutch for environmental defence) to no longer take part in the Outdoor Grazing Covenant. In the opinion of the Dutch Federation of Agriculture and Horticulture and the Dutch Dairy Association this decision is entirely unjustifiable. With its decision Milieudefensie passes over the efforts of the covenant partners that have resulted in a growing number of new farms applying outdoor grazing.

Number of dairy farmers applying outdoor grazing

78.3% of the dairy farms in the Netherlands applied some form of outdoor grazing in the outdoor grazing season of 2015. This was slightly higher than in the year 2014. By the end of this year, dairy companies will make known how many dairy farmers applied some form of outdoor grazing in the current season. 500 dairy farmers are needed until the year 2020 to reach again the number of farms applying outdoor grazing of the year 2012, when 81% of the farms applied outdoor grazing. This percentage is the joint objective of the 66 parties that signed the Outdoor Grazing Covenant.