ZERO-GRAZED LIVESTOCK

That this House notes the growing trend towards the zero-grazing of dairy cows, lambs and milk-producing goats; further notes that this process confines animals to sheds for all or most of the year; is concerned that such systems are unduly restrictive and oppressive and that the limited investigations that have so far been carried out point to a higher incidence of health problems such as lameness, mastitis, laminitis, acidosis and infertility; and calls on the Government to commission and make publicly available independent research that assesses the scale of zero-grazing of dairy cattle, goats and sheep in the UK, as well as the physical and behavioural problems associated with this method of livestock farming.