The surprising thing about free-range milk is that it has taken so long to catch on. Fifty years after Ermintrude chewed thoughtfully on a flower in The Magic Roundabout two brands are seeking to persuade us that happy cows, grazing freely, produce better milk. All they lack, crucially, is a definition of what free-range milk is. It is important for the sake of this high-value and potentially high-fat niche market that one is swiftly agreed.
Enjoy Milk and Free Range Dairy Farmers believe that cows which graze on pasture are engaging in natural behaviour denied to the 300,000 British dairy cows that spend their life indoors. The result, they say, is better-tasting milk.
Free-range milk would represent a welcome expansion of consumer choice from standard or organic. It could be a means for beleaguered dairy farmers to add value to their product. Between 1995 and 2014 the number of registered dairy producers in the UK fell by 61 per cent from more than 35,000 to fewer than 14,000. Demand for free-range goods is soaring: sales of free-range eggs have doubled in the past decade and represent almost half of all sales. Free-range milk might offer them a fillip.
Strict rules govern the production and labelling of free-range eggs and meat. These rules cover maximum stocking density and time spent outside, and dairy farmers will need to match them if consumers are to keep the faith with free-range milk.
For instance, how many outdoor grazing days does it take for milk to be designated free-range? A hundred and eighty? Why not 360? Surveys show that people buy free-range eggs because they care about animal welfare. They presumably think the same way about milk. As those who produce it consult on what it is, they should summon the cow whisperers and ask Ermintrude herself.