The last three to five years has seen increasing interest in low-impact, small-scale, high-welfare micro-dairies. There are a number of descriptive terms under which such dairies currently identify themselves, including regenerative, organic, grass-fed and calf-at-foot. However, as the Panorama documentary earlier this year illustrated, the question of what constitutes high welfare and how that is policed is likely to be an ongoing challenge for farmers, processors and retailers alike.
We are keen to understand how the development of “slaughter-free” micro-dairies fit into this landscape of high welfare options amongst micro dairy producers so that we can best support those who are interested in becoming involved.