To kick off the interviews, who better than the two key coordinators of the TDN project?
We are pleased to share a quick interview with Professor Siobhan Mullan and Dr. Jessica Stokes:
Professor Siobhan Mullan is Professor of Animal Welfare & Veterinary Ethics at University College Dublin (UCD). She focuses on developing methodologies to assess animal welfare and collaborates with industrial partners to drive large-scale welfare improvements across various species.
Dr. Jessica Stokes is an Associate Professor in Farm Animal Welfare Science and Policy at the Royal Agricultural University (RAU). She focuses on developing positive welfare frameworks for livestock and collaborates with researchers, farmers, and industry stakeholders to enhance the resilience and sustainability of agriculture.
What personal significance does the TDN project hold for you?
Siobhan– “Honestly, this is just the best project! I’m so passionate about farming in a way that I think modern societies would be proud of- in other words, how we would farm if we were starting today knowing what we know about animal welfare and sustainability. I’m in no doubt that moving away from the legacy system of separating calves from cows and allowing cow calf contact is part of how European citizens would prefer dairy farming to be. It’s rare to be in such a large consortium and I’m equally humbled and inspired by the fantastic people in the consortium, who each bring their unique expertise and enthusiasm to the project. When Jess and I first thought about applying for a thematic network on this topic we didn’t know at that time just how many amazing people we’d be working with- I’ve learnt so much and it has been great fun so far!
Jessica – “This is the most significant project of my career to date. Siobhan and I have been working together for over a decade in promoting positive welfare experiences for the major livestock species. Finding ways to maintain the cow-calf bond is central to positive welfare opportunities in dairy systems. It is a real privilege to team up and collaborate with other engaged actors and advocates of CCC systems, but also welcome people who this is very new for, who have lots of questions, and perhaps challenges and needs this project can help support. I have worked on many farmer-led projects and I am very proud to be applying this approach to learn from the transformational systems farmers are developing to apply CCC in practice.”
In what ways do you believe TDN will drive positive change?
Siobhan – “The amazing thing is that we can already see TDN starting to change hearts and minds just through raising awareness that the European Commission has been willing to support the development of cow calf contact dairy farming and that some people really are farming in this way all across Europe! Of course, we will produce many practical guides for farmers, vets, advisors and everyone really who’s associated with dairy farming, but I think there will also be a big impact on policy makers and others to really take cow calf contact dairying seriously.”
Jessica – “Driving positive change for me is a grass roots process. Therefore, first and foremost, we aim to create a space for dairy farmers and other actors to come and share experiences, learn from each other and support each other in exploring CCC practice. I believe networks of farmers and peer to peer communities of practice is one of the most powerful driving forces of change. At a wider level we are also mobilizing a European Network, which we call our EKIN (European Knowledge and Innovation Network), to share outcomes from the national activities with farmers – to engage the industry ecosystem around dairy farmers, to consider what part they play to support a transformation process. We are really encouraged that after our first press release we have had more and more actors globally getting in touch and wanting to join our network. A real success for us in driving positive change would be to leave the legacy that this network continues beyond the life of the funded project, continuing to support the upscaling of CCC systems.”
As the coordinator of this significant project, what do you see as the primary challenges to achieving its success?
Siobhan – “Probably the biggest challenge that farmers face in trying to adopt cow calf contact dairy systems is that they are operating within a much larger food system which currently is not set up for that type of farming. So far, people have made it work in different ways, often by producing a niche product for a small market at a premium, but to really upscale cow calf contact dairying would require changes in the way that everyone works- from the vets to the milk processors, the retailers to the regulators.”
Jessica – “We are a big, passionate consortium, who care very deeply about the dairy sector and the role of CCC systems within it. We all have strong opinions, and do not always agree, and in which case we need to take a step back, and compromise. Swift democratic processes around decision making, and facilitation can really not be underestimated here! Some of us have been working independently in this area for some time. Coming together and learning how to work together takes a real investment of time and energy at the beginning, but this collaborative process is crucial to the power and therefore success of any consortium like us. We super-charge our impact by working together – this is where the real magic starts to happen…”
What specific outcomes do you hope to achieve by the conclusion of the TDN project?
Siobhan — “I would really like to see our existing pioneering cow calf contact dairy farmers helped with new and important information to enable them to farm better. I’d love to see some of our curious farmers give cow calf contact dairying a try and I’d like to think that anybody who is wanting to know more about cow calf contact could find not only information to help them, but also a network of people willing and able to provide support. As much as anything I’d like to see cow calf contact firmly recognised as a system of dairy farming that is considered by all major players within the dairy supply chain whenever they are undertaking their work- be it policy makers or companies. I want them to think “OK, so how does this apply to our cow calf contact farms?”.”
Jessica – “I am exciting to see what our National Innovation Hubs (NIPs) of farmers and other actors decide to trial in Living Labs – to address their own challenges, gaps or questions about CCC practice. This will add value to our network of participants and provide the sector with inspiration and new knowledge. I am also looking forward to welcoming other actors from across the industry ecosystem to come and learn from what our NIPs are doing, and finding out how our network can best support the sector, in Europe but also other parts of the world, going forward.”
