Following a public challenge from the RSPCA to supply welfare information, Nocton Dairies has criticised the organisation for subsequently refusing to look at details of its planned 8,100 cow dairy farm in Lincolnshire to ensure it incorporates the best standards and management. The RSPCA stated again this weekend that the dairy could end up having very good or very bad welfare, yet has declined to take part in meetings or visit one of the director’s existing farms to look at the model for the dairy.
"They say: ’Give us something to support or oppose’* yet will not talk to us," says Nocton Dairies director Peter Willes. "We’d love to have their views, and have attempted to show them the prototype housing for Nocton Dairies that is now up and running in Devon and our welfare and management statement, but we have been turned down and meetings have been pulled with little explanation."
Mr Willes says the RSPCA response has been that it will only engage in the project through the planning process as a consultee, but he is concerned that as animal welfare is not a part of planning requirements in the UK, it’s the wrong process to use.
"It’s frustrating because we want to share this information but it’s a closed door. We agree that welfare is a critical concern on big farms and we’ve taken this seriously, spending five years researching the best system for the dairy with some of the world’s top vets. We’re confident about what we’re proposing, but input from the country’s leading animal welfare organisation at this stage, so we can share views and discuss the requirements of the modern cow, would be very useful."
Mr Willes confirms that offers to visit the farms upon which the Nocton Dairies system is modelled have also been made to animal rights groups and vocal critics of the project WSPA and Compassion in World Farming, but these too have been rejected and, to date, not one visit has been made.
"There is an opportunity to come and help shape this and work with us while the plans are still being developed, but these groups are adamant they will oppose the dairy outright without even making the effort to understand what this specific model involves.
"They are like self-appointed health inspectors slamming a new hotel’s standards before it’s even built – just because they’ve seen some poor examples of hotels of the same size in another country. They’ve issued a continual stream of scare stories based on some horrific systems abroad to terrify people – yet they are afraid to come to our farms because there they will see well-fed cows with little lameness and virtually no ailments, socialising and expressing normal behaviour.
"We’ve nothing to hide and the more people who can see the way our cows live, eat and rest on our farms, the better they will understand what we are trying to do and then they can contribute in a positive way. People local to Nocton who have come to see us have found something quite different from what they expected, and we’ve taken on board some of the ideas they’ve then come up with."
The planning application for the dairy is expected to be resubmitted shortly after being withdrawn to address a number of technical concerns earlier this year. The directors say the scale of the farm will allow investment, excellent welfare, high levels of staffing for the cows and significant environmental benefits, all of which will be detailed when the plan is resubmitted.
