Goodbye to tethering: Happy cows

Agriculture - Goodbye to tethering: Happy cows - unhappy farmers?

The Bavarian Farmers' Association shows happy cows on green mountain pastures on its website. But tens of thousands of cows in Bavaria live tethered in stables year in, year out and never get to graze. The federal government now wants to change this.

Within five years, dairy farmers nationwide are to switch to loose housing or combined housing - year-round tethering is to be banned. The Free State of Bavaria wants to prevent this plan in the Bundesrat.

How does animal-friendly husbandry work?

"A picture of a happy cow, so to speak, would be when she grooms her coat together with a fellow cow," says biologist Sabine Dippel from the Federal Research Institute for Animal Health. This joint grooming lowers the cows' heart rate and they are relaxed. "Cows need other cows," says Dippel, "they also need the opportunity to interact with others." Just a few weeks after giving birth, the calves look for company.

In the loose housing, the cows can live out their normal behavior. In tethered stalls, on the other hand, they sometimes have to stand and lie next to a conspecific for the rest of their lives, which they simply don't like. And if they are kept without movement for longer, they develop behavioral disorders - for example, they stick out their tongue and roll: "That's a sign of stress," says Dippel.

Cultivated landscape and combined husbandry

According to the dairy industry association, there are around 51,000 dairy farms in Germany - almost half of them in Bavaria. According to the Bavarian Farmers' Association, almost 10,000 farms in Bavaria keep their cows tethered in the barn all year round.

The issue is primarily a southern German problem, says Markus Fadl from the Naturland association for organic farming. Small farms in the middle of villages often have no space for a loose housing system. If they were to convert, they would have to reduce the number of animals and then ask themselves whether it would still be economically viable. Such small farms make up a significant proportion of dairy farms in the Alpine region: "They are very important for the entire region, for agriculture and the cultural landscape. If they no longer exist, then at some point the open pastures will no longer exist either," says Fadl.

Combined husbandry is a compromise solution: the cows may continue to be tethered in the barn, but must be allowed out on at least 90 days. If the farm is located in a densely populated area with a lot of traffic, it will be difficult to get the cows to go outside, says Ernest Schäffer from the Bavarian State Board of Trustees of the Producer Rings for Animal Refinement (LKV). But combined husbandry is the future, and year-round tethering is "a discontinued model".

Conversion costs

Allgäu farmer Thomas Kögel keeps 90 cattle, including 35 dairy cows, in a tie-stall barn. He built a loose housing system for his young animals two years ago, which cost him around 80,000 euros. The conversion for adult animals is more difficult, it could cost him up to one million euros: "Realistically speaking, that can't be achieved within a generation," says Kögel.

LKV Managing Director Schäffer calculates: "If the construction costs for a dairy cattle barn used to be 10,000 or 12,000 euros per cow in a barn, today they are 14,000 to 20,000 euros to ensure animal welfare and work processes." For larger farms with 70 cows or more, the costs could still be affordable, but not for smaller farms. Naturland spokesperson Fadl also says: "For the smallest farms, an investment in a loose housing system would not pay off, they would close down because it is not worth it."

Kögel inherited the farm from his father. "Basically, this is my dream, my life. I don't know anything else," he says. The whole family helps out on the farm, his brother is an insemination technician. "I am now in the fortunate position of having two children, aged twelve and ten, who are already fully involved and want to lead this life," he says proudly. However, the framework conditions for farming are a huge burden for him: "At the moment, I'm on the fence as to whether I'll continue at all or not."

Federal Agriculture Minister Cem Özdemir (Greens) told the German Press Agency: "I want a compromise that reconciles the interests of our agriculture with those of nature and animal welfare." However, agriculture must participate. "Anyone who pretends that there is no pressure is ignoring the fact that retailers are increasingly implementing consumers' wishes for greater animal welfare."

Whether consumers are willing to pay the price is another matter. According to a recent Deloitte survey, less than half of Germans still buy sustainable organic and ecological products. The main reason cited was the sharp rise in the cost of living.

Read also:

The Federal Government, in an attempt to improve animal welfare, plans to ban year-round tethering for dairy cows nationwide within five years, a move that has sparked opposition from the Free State of Bavaria in the Bundesrat.
In Bavaria, despite the Bavarian Farmers' Association showcasing happy cows on green pastures on their website, tens of thousands of cows spend their lives tethered in stables and never have the opportunity to graze.
The issue of loosening tethering regulations is particularly pressing in Bavaria, where nearly 10,000 farms keep their cows tethered year-round in barns, according to the Bavarian Farmers' Association.
Biologist Sabine Dippel from the Federal Research Institute for Animal Health explains that in loose housing, cows can live out their natural behaviors, lowering their heart rate and promoting relaxation, while tethered stalls may lead to behavioral disorders and stress-related symptoms such as tongue-sticking and rolling.
Markus Fadl from the Naturland association for organic farming notes that small farms in densely populated areas often lack the space for a loose housing system and would need to significantly reduce their animal population to make the conversion financially viable.
Bavaria's Agriculture Minister, Christoph Lammer (CSU), has stated that the Bavarian Farmers' Association is in ongoing discussions with the Federal Government to find a compromise that supports the agrarian sector, promotes animal welfare, and meets the expectations of consumers.

Source: www.stern.de