Organic farming association calls for all cows to have summer grazing rights

All cows in Denmark should have the legal right to graze outdoors during summer, the country’s Organic Farming Association proposed on Tuesday, as organic herds were released to pasture for the season.

The call comes as Denmark marks its annual Organic Day, with 39 farms opening their gates to around 100,000 visitors to showcase organic practices. Under current rules, organic-certified cows must graze daily in summer—but the association wants this extended to conventional dairy herds.

“This isn’t just romanticism or a nice story—it’s about animal welfare,” said Michael Kjerkegaard, chair of the Organic Farming Association. “We can see it matters to the animals.”

The proposal, backed by animal welfare group Dyrenes Beskyttelse, suggests reforming agricultural subsidies to reward farmers for grazing areas. “Cows have more space and can express natural behaviours,” said Sophie Hastrup Christensen, agricultural policy chief at Dyrenes Beskyttelse. “They can forage, lie on softer ground, and interact as a herd.”

Yet grazing rates have plummeted: in 2003, 75% of Danish dairy cows grazed; by 2020, fewer than 30% did. Conventional farms now prioritise high-yield indoor systems, with larger herds and automated milking.

Thomas Poulsen, a conventional farmer in southern Zealand, called the proposal “sympathetic but unrealistic” for his 400-cow operation. “We’d need major infrastructure changes—more land, dry pathways—and fewer cows overall,” he said. Poulsen argued indoor systems with brushes, waterbeds, and robotic milking already meet welfare needs, while grazing could stress cows accustomed to routine.

He added that grazing malkers might reduce biodiversity compared to raising beef calves on rougher pastures. “Let consumer demand drive change,” he said, rather than mandates.

The association’s plan would require structural shifts in Denmark’s dairy sector, where high-output farms dominate. Supporters counter that grazing improves welfare and could align with subsidy reforms.