A screening of an award-winning documentary about the impact of cows brought the local dairy farming industry together to discuss the future of the practice.
Hosted by Julia and Guy Hands, the screening of World Without Cows was attended by local dairy farmers, civil servants, Deputies, environmentalists and other stakeholders who work with the iconic Guernsey cows. Discussion on the evening ranged from animal welfare to the future of agriculture and covered the adoption of technology and the economic benefits to the world of cows.
One of the presenters was Troy Setter (pictured), CEO of Consolidated Pastoral Company – one of the world’s largest beef producers with nearly 350,000 cows.
Mr Setter praised Guernsey’s approach to dairy farming: “Guernsey is a magnificent example of a small farming community that is so passionate about what they do and is so innovative. I visited a few farms over the past few days and saw some world-leading technology in action. Guernsey should be so proud of the fact that it’s a world leader in this area.”
The film explores the need to continue to support dairy farming and that cows provide an essential source of income for farmers across the world.
Adopting a balanced approach to assessing the industry, the film touches on the benefits and challenges of raising cattle: “There’s a huge responsibility on everyone involved in the agricultural industry to do the right thing not just about sustainability, but also about animal welfare and social engagement,” said Mr Setter. “We need to continue to adopt technology but balance that with the fact that cows are live, very social animals, so people need to interact with them.”
