UK dairy farms with indoor 'battery cows' double to 180
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- Bureau of Investigative Journalism reported that the number of intensive dairy farms permanently confining cattle indoors has risen from about 70 in 2015 to at least 180 today, more than a doubling in ten years.
- Bureau of Investigative Journalism identified 40 “mega dairies” in the UK—farms with over 700 cows—of which the largest hold 2,600 cows, marking a doubling in such large units over the same period.
- UK government does not require environmental permits for large dairy units, meaning it lacks precise data on their numbers or locations, unlike regulated poultry and pig farms.
- UK dairy farmers have been forced to sell milk for as low as 28 p per litre, below the estimated production cost of about 40 p per litre, due to soaring fertiliser, fuel and feed prices.
- Arla Group and other major processors such as Müller and Saputo source milk from these intensive farms and reported a €415 m net profit in 2025, highlighting a profit gap between processors and farmers.
- Defra acknowledged cattle farms as significant polluters of water and air and said it will explore fair approaches to extend environmental permitting to dairy farms.
Why it matters: Farmers lose profitability as they sell milk below cost, while processors and retailers capture rising profits; the surge in indoor 'battery cow' farms also raises pollution and animal‑welfare concerns, prompting calls for new environmental permits and strain the UK's reputation for high animal‑welfare standards.
