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![More than 40 mega-dairies exist across the UK, the largest of them housing 2,600 cows. The number of farms keeping cattle indoors year-round has more than doubled over the past decade, increasing the volume of slurry that must be stored and managed, while existing infrastructure is failing to keep pace.
Meanwhile, UK organic dairy cow numbers fell by 6% between 2023 and 2024, continuing a decline since 2019. In 2024, organic dairy accounted for just 1.5% of cow numbers in the June consensus.
The current system, weighted towards farms with hundreds or even thousands of cows and billed as ‘more efficient’ and ‘lower carbon’, is driving increased pollution and exposure to the impacts of climate change. “[…] we cannot measure the health of the dairy sector by output alone,” said Gemma Lane, Land Use Policy Manager at The Wildlife Trusts.
Analysis of recent Environment Agency figures by The Wildlife Trusts calculated that dairy activity was responsible for 71% of serious agricultural pollution incidents in England alone – damaging rivers, contributing to algal blooms, reducing oxygen levels and harming wildlife.
However, unlike intensive pig and poultry units, large dairy and beef farms are not subject to the same government monitoring, meaning their size and environmental impacts are left largely unchecked.
Read David Burrows' full report on Wicked Leeks, via the link in our bio.](https://wickedleeks.riverford.co.uk/wp-content/plugins/instagram-feed/img/placeholder.png)