Farm life

Farming without Slaughter

SMALLHOLDERS IN FRANCE ARE FINDING KINDER AND LESSINTENSIVE WAYS TO EARN A LIVING FROM DAIRY FARMING

One thorn in the side of dairy farmers has always been the slaughter of unproductive females and excess males. Some females do not produce enough milk to be profitable in a high-yield dairy, and production drops off as they age, whereas only a few males are required for breeding. Some of these excess animals may be sold off to the public, but the majority end up at the abattoir. Could it be conceivable to live in France without eating cheese? Several goat farmers have found feasible alternatives that provide sufficient income from kinder and more sustainable farming methods. What are the issues? Ethically-minded farmers are not only finding ways to avoid slaughter, but task themselves with finding alternatives to damaging farming practices, such as separating kids from their mothers, crowded barns without outdoor access, high-cereal diets, environmentallydamaging practices, and loss of hardy traditional breeds. Solutions involve an unavoidable drop in production volumes due to less intensive practices, but are accompanied by methods that inherently reduce costs and create higher value products. Long lactation reduces costs In 2019, Breton farmer Jean-Yves Ruelloux was interviewed on France Culture. You can still listen to the recording on their website (see link below). For 15 years, he followed conventional methods of breeding high-yield dairy goats every year. Not only did this make for hard work during and after the kidding season, it pained him to send male kids to the slaughterhouse every year and to hear the distress of their mothers as they left. He noticed how milk production quickly dropped after the third year, resulting in females being sent to the abattoir from as young as four years old. On hearing of a 15-year-old goat that continued to produce milk after kidding only once, he wondered if this would work with his herd. He started by not breeding a few lactating females one autumn and found that they came back into milk the following spring. It was such a success that he has only bred each nanny-goat once since 2005. He has seen little reduction in overall annual yield. One of his goats, in her eighth year of lactation, produces up to 4.8 litres per day, totalling around 900 litres per year, which exceeds the regional average of 720 litres per year. Some of his goats have continued producing for 12 years and are now enjoying their retirement on the farm. Using traditional methods, his main veterinary costs were due to birth problems and issues that arise at the end of gestation and the start of lactation. Now he rarely has any vet bills. Having reduced his herd to 14 goats, they have plenty of grazing land, requiring minimal purchased feed. With his investment costs paid off, he can live comfortably enough by making 30 to 40 cheeses per day. He much prefers this new way of life, and comments, ‘I no longer feel like I’m producing, but rather sharing my life with the animals and exchanging services with them.’ Artisan cheese products fetch better prices Low-intensity farming that respects goats’ needs and biology within spacious natural pastures results in a higher quality product. When farmers transform the milk into cheese themselves, they can produce a more desirable and marketable product, which attracts a higher price. Agricultural engineer Alexandre Dupont started her dairy in Nouans les Fontaines, Indre-et-Loire, in 2011. She too breeds goats only once, when they are fully grown between two and four years old. Kids are kept with their mothers until two to four months old, when they are weaned. Then families are kept together as much as possible to respect the social bonds that are known to exist between goats. Retired milkers and their neutered sons live out their natural lives on the farm, partly funded by charity donations but mainly from farm income. Her view is that ‘we cannot reduce goats to production machines. They are really individuals with needs and their own personalities. They are living, sensitive beings, and we cannot ignore this on the pretext of milk or meat production.’ Alternative markets allow lower yields Another way to increase value from a lower output is to change your market or product. Some farmers choose rare breeds to combine conservation efforts with distinctive products. These goats generally yield less milk, but of richer quality. This richness provides a greater yield of cheese or soap. Traditional breeds and outdoor forage provide distinct flavours and qualities. Valérie Corrège and François Garnier wanted to help save the threatened breed ‘Chèvre de Massif Central’ in the Cévennes mountains of Lozère, while sticking to strict ethical principles. To allow mothers to raise their own kids, they remain together full time until kids are six weeks old. Then kids sleep overnight in a stall within the maternal enclosure, so that mothers can be milked before the kids rejoin them. Valérie explains, ‘goats have a highly hierarchical social structure which is organised in families: we respect that, so we don’t separate kids from their mothers. Obviously, that yields less milk (since the kids suckle until eight months old)—it’s difficult financially, but we don’t want to do otherwise. Another example: within a herd there are always some obsolete goats who give very little milk or not at all. It doesn’t matter: they are here; we keep them, and no-one is going to the slaughterhouse.’ When producing cheese, the farm needed a lot of milk, so they switched to making high-quality organic soaps, which requires less volume. As females breed less often, male kids find homes as pets, landscape grazers or breeders, and retired females stay on the farm. This herd follows an ancient pastoral tradition of daily outings up into the mountains. The goats are taken out whenever the weather is good to browse the seven kilometres of isolated wild valley of mainly chestnut and oak. When conditions are right, the goatherds slip away secretively, leaving the goats to browse free range. Here they slip seamlessly into the stunning natural landscape (you can experience it yourself from their shepherd’s cabin www.airbnb.com/rooms/18422417). Multiple solutions These are by no means the only examples. Organic ‘AB’ or ‘Nature et Progrès’ labels encourage ecologically-sound and higher welfare practices. Many producers aim higher than the label standards, and I would recommend a visit to the farm or their website to discover their priorities. More and more are finding ways to respect our growing understanding of farm animal sentience, while providing a basic income and a happier, healthier life for themselves and their herds.

Sources: ▪ Jean-Yves Ruelloux’s radio interview: www.franceculture.fr/emissions/lespieds-sur-terre/changer-le-monde-34se-relier-aux-animaux-delevage ▪ Alexandre Dupont: www.lafermedescroqepines.com ▪ Valérie Corrège/Sorène: boutique.chevrerie-sorene.fr

Low-intensity farming that respects goats’ needs and biology within spacious natural pastures results in a higher quality product

By Tamsin Cooper

Tamsin Cooper is a smallholder and writer with a keen interest in animal behaviour and welfare

www.goatwriter.com