Animal Welfare

Systematic and preventive healthcare is essential to animal welfare. To ensure the wellbeing of our cows, we pay a sustainability bonus to the farms that invest more in animal welfare than what is required by law. Our goal is that all of our dairy farms are receiving the sustainability bonus by 2020.

What is the sustainability bonus?

The milk we produce is among the cleanest in the world. A key factor in this is the wellbeing of animals. To improve it even further, we intend to increase the number of farms that receive our sustainability bonus. Here are the requirements for it:

  • The farm is included in Naseva, the bovine health register, and a farm visit by a veterinarian to check up on animal health at least once per year
  • Regular hoof health tracking and treatment
  • Anaesthetics, pain relief and sedation during disbudding, i.e. removal of a calf’s horn buds
  • New barns must be built as free-stalls, which allow the cows to move about as they please
  • No soy or GMO in feed

Antibiotics only when necessary

In Finland, the cows are among the healthiest in the world. We never use antibiotics as a preventive measure. This way,we help to prevent the creation of antibiotic-resistant bacteria strains.

Valio's milk is among the cleanest in the world

Low bacterial content in milk speaks to good milking hygiene and milk processing Cell counts in the milk indicate udder health. The counts rise when there is an udder infection.

How is top-quality milk created?

We measure milk quality at many points on its journey from the farm to the dairy. The milk producer monitors milk quality for each cow and the milk temperature in the farm’s tank. Collection drivers inspect the milk’s temperature, smell and appearance, and take samples of the milk. Only milk that meets the requirements can be pumped into the vehicle’s tank. Farm-specific samples are analysed for their composition and bacterial count, among other things. Drivers perform a microbial medicine trace test of the milk before it is delivered to the production plant’s silo.

Valio’s sustainability report 2018

Read the whole report and get a deeper understanding of our work on sustainability.

Read here

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