Over the last two weeks we have been learning about interdependence. Interdependence is the relationship between two or more living things where each one benefits from the other. Prior to the sessions I had little knowledge on the topic and was keen to learn more.

I thought this would be a good video to introduce the topic to a class as it breaks down interdepence very clearly and shows how we all depend on each other.

Interdependence is categorised into three components-

Economic
e.g global market and trading, Multinational financial regulation
Social
e.g cultural integration, media, advertising
Environmental
e.g need to look beyond local impact

For the first session of interdependence we visited two different farms. Although these two farms were both dairy farms, they both operated very differently from each other.

The first farm we visited was Strandhead Farm. This farm was very modern due to the use of technology used to achieve the milk from the cows. Machines were used to record data such as the weight of the cow and how well they were milking. This meant that there was not much manual work for the farmers as everything was done by machinery. I thought the modern technology was useful and it ensures everything is running smooth and operating well.

Confined animal facilities or what can also be called factory farms, use industrial production methods (such as large capitalisation, concentrated production and mechanisation) to the raising of animals for human consumption. Intense production farming has produced many economic benefits. When listening to the speakers they said that their first objective was the business – to sell to supermarkets and ensure a big profit. I thought this sounded quite unethical as they cared more about the profit than the health and wellbeing of the animals. The average cow today produces more than four times as much milk as cows did in 1950 (PETA, 2019). The cows in this farm seemed to be in distress and were showing unnatural behaviours.

I did not like that the cows were huddled into a confined space for majority of their life and thought that was extremely cruel. Having such a small limited space for the large quantity of cows gives them no room to roam around and highly reduces their quality of life. Confining animals in restrictive spaces produces unique responses. Confinement produces unnatural behaviour and living conditions. Cows are given hormones to increase their milk production – sometimes up to ten times what would occur naturally (Thepoultrysite.com, 2019).

The second farm was the Mossgiel Farm which was an organic farm. This farm was the complete opposite to Strandhead farm. Mossgiel farm was a family business, which Bryce took over when his dad and grandfather passed away. Before he took over the business there used to be up to 150 cows. He said that the cows were indoors majority of the time producing milk. He got extremely overwhelmed with the takeover of the farm and in his first year lost £150,000 and went bankrupt. He then had to sell away most of the cows and only had about 30 left. His milk became heavily popular with the coffee industry and his business started to thrive. He said that they work hard to make top quality produce but also care about the animals and do it in the most ethical way they can. The farmers pasteurised their own milk which cuts down production time. The cows are also free to roam a large area of land and are free to be outdoors rather than living in confinement.

Visiting both farms was eye-opening and was such valuable experience. I found Bryce very inspiring as he fell bankrupt but worked extremely hard and now his business is so popular. It made me make the change to drink less milk and consume less meat. I from now on will try to only buy organic milk as I it is a lot more ethical and fair on the animals. It was a great resource of outdoor learning that kids would find exciting and interesting. Bryce talked about the importance of outdoor learning and how his farm offers trips for schools. I think it would great let the pupils see and compare the farms and see how they contrast.

 

PETA. (2019). The Dairy Industry | PETA. [online] Available at: https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/factory-farming/cows/dairy-industry/ [Accessed 24 Oct. 2019].

Thepoultrysite.com. (2019). Unintended Consequences of Confined Animal Facilities. [online] Available at: https://thepoultrysite.com/articles/unintended-consequences-of-confined-animal-facilities [Accessed 23 Oct. 2019].