In the 1900s , dairy farmers started to form cooperatives in Ireland in order to pool their resources , buying power and knowhow . The farmers own the cooperative and benefit collectively from all it achieves . Although Glanbia is an Irish public company , the Irish dairy business ( Glanbia Ingredients Ireland ) is still controlled and majority owned ( more than 60 %) by the farmers through their cooperative . The farmers ’ interests , values and wellbeing come first , period .
Creating " Truly Grass Fed " Certification
Glanbia shared our passion for creating a “ Truly Grass Fed ” Certification since they have been grass feeding their cows for generations . But our project was finally giving a voice to the Irish dairy farmer and representing them in the marketplace .
There are around 4,800 generational family farmers in our grass fed cooperative . “ Truly Grass Fed ” is a holistic approach to dairy farming . Here are some interesting facts about our dairy system :
»»
The average farmer has around 150 acres .
»»
Their farm is home to around 70 cows .
» »
» Most of these farmers are fourth of fifth generation or more .
» Our cows roam , eat and live on the pasture year-round with shelter provided during inclement weather .
»»
Our grass is nourished predominantly by an organic slurry and monitored closely to maximize the cows ’ nutrition .
»»
Cows calve as nature intended , when they are around two years old .
»»
Male calves are transferred into pasture-based beef farming in Ireland .
»»
No hormones ( like rBSTe ) are ever used to accelerate maturity or stimulate milk production .
»»
Cows are healthy and there ’ s no need ( or tolerance ) for prophylactic antibiotic use .
»»
Cows live long , happy , stress free lives sometimes well past the age of 20 .
»»
Whey coming from these Irish cows is minimally processed using the most advanced cold-processed , microfiltration system and there ’ s never any harsh processing aids employed .
»»
The whey is not denatured .
This is the first animal protein supply chain where I can honestly say that we know our farmers , and they do it right every step of the way . But it ’ s not enough that we say it . We believe in third-party validation . If it ’ s true , it can and should be traced , audited and verified .
That ’ s where the new industry leading Truly Grass Fed ™ Certification project came from . We are participating in the creation of a new worldwide auditing standard that measures the holistic system , verifying its three key elements :
1 . Truly pasture raised cows are fed grass year-round .
2 . Truly sustainable farms are in balance with the environment , maintaining their low ratio of cows per acre and minimizing their environmental impact with measured low carbon emissions .
3 . Truly humane farmers treat their cows well , with only the highest animal welfare practices .
By leading the way , with Truly Grass Fed Certification , we are proving to everyone it is possible to do better , for the cows , the environment and ultimately , our health .
Only because we developed this holistic system were we able to secure the other quality certifications essential for a Garden of Life product , including Non-GMO Project Verification , NSF for Sport and Informed-Choice Certification .
Vol 29 • Extraordinary Health ™ 51