FREE RANGE DAIRY®

FREE RANGE DAIRY is the registered trade mark of Free Range Dairy cc  Reg No CK 2009/085901/23

Consumer
As a consumer of milk and other dairy products, why should you care about where your milk comes from?
 
YOU WILL BE CARING FOR THE HEALTH OF YOUR FAMILY
Have you ever heard the saying "You are what you eat"? Well, to some extent it is true. Junk-food is called by that name for a reason! Unhealthy food is one of the primary causes for unhealthy people. Our bodies were designed to consume healthy food, full of nature's goodness. Milk is one of these healthy, natural foods.

Healthy cows feeding on excellent quality natural feed will produce excellent quality milk, just as nature intended. This is a primary FREE RANGE DAIRY® principle. Unfortunately, in today's financially pressed "instant" society, some cows are fed "junk-food" and the result is that they produce poor quality milk. Other substances not only affect the quality of the milk but also the health of the consumer. For example, if a dairy cow is given artificial growth hormones or excessive antibiotics to increase milk production, these substances are transferred directly into the milk. This means that anybody drinking that milk will also be consuming those hormones and antibiotics; many of which may be harmful to you and to your family!

FREE RANGE DAIRY® certification ensures that cows only eat top quality natural food and that no added hormones (such as rBST or rBGH) have been used on any of the dairy animals. Antibiotics may only be used when prescribed by and under the instruction of a veterinarian and then only to treat a cow that is ill. Milk from such an animal is only utilised once she is healthy and all trace of antibiotics has worked out of her system. All milk is screened to ensure that absolutely no antibiotic residue or artificial growth hormones are ever present in certified FREE RANGE DAIRY®.

 
YOU WILL BE CARING FOR THE HEALTH AND WELL-BEING OF DAIRY COWS AND CALVES
Cows look after us by providing us with milk that we use on a daily basis. Don't you think that the least we can do is to look after them in return?

Unfortunately, financial pressure on milk production may lead to some producers neglecting the health and well-being of their animals. This has even reached the point where dairy cows are merely treated like milk-making machines, with no regard for their health and well-being. Such cows are often over-crowded in feedlots and treated harshly. FREE RANGE DAIRY® ensures that as a minimum, all producers adhere to internationally recognised animal welfare standards. Over and above that, FREE RANGE DAIRY® sets standards to allow dairy cows to graze luscious pastures, with adequate space to exercise and express natural behaviour.

In addition, FREE RANGE DAIRY® audits a range of animal health and safety standards. For example, any slippery surfaces or dangerous passageways, where cows can injure themselves, are totally unacceptable. FREE RANGE DAIRY® audits go as far as to cover the whole farming practice. The humane housing and care of calves is of particular concern to us, while the humane treatment of cull cows and bull calves is non-negotiable.

 
YOU WILL BE CARING FOR THE ENVIRONMENT
Caring for the environment is everybody's responsibility. We can all make a difference.

Modern, intensive dairy farming can, if not properly controlled, be detrimental to the environment. Excessive energy use, soil-, water- and air-pollution are all problems that can be associated with dairy production.
FREE RANGE DAIRY® has highlighted such areas of environmental impact, and audits these aspects stringently to ensure the mitigation of environmental impact. FREE RANGE DAIRY® believes that people should not just be kept in check by a rulebook, but rather that we should strive to care for and actively conserve our environment. To this end, FREE RANGE DAIRY® is promoting an environmental initiative whereby producers and processors can be publicly recognised for their environmental stewardship and integrity.

FREE RANGE DAIRY® is playing an active role in ensuring that our environment is conserved for future generations. Shouldn't you?

Irrespective of which brand of milk or milk product you buy, insist on certified FREE RANGE DAIRY®

Healthy   Happy   Humane

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