210 farms broke the Animal Protection Act last year - several deliver milk to Arla

There is a clear limit to what good animal husbandry is: If a farm follows the Animal Welfare Act. If the law is not complied with, the county administrative authority may, during its animal welfare checks, give orders, a decision that the animal owner must improve.

Assignment review has requested all orders relating to meat and milk production last year, from Sweden's 21 county boards.

This is a total of 210 farms which, according to the county administrative board, did not comply with the Animal Protection Act.

The reports from the visits to the farms are reminiscent of what was revealed at the dairy farm in Hälsingland. These include dirty, injured, sick and lean cows.

In one of the reports, the county administrative board writes:

All of the calves were lethargic and apathetic and in the downhole. One cow had foam from the mouth and swollen udder. The milk from her teats was clumsy and discolored.

Almost four weeks later, the County Administrative Board returns to the farm, noting that the cow that needed care and four of the seven calves have died - without having to call a veterinarian.

In reports from other farms you can read:

Among other things, there were dead calves in the bed that were not noticed or moved by you.

The barn had not been cleaned in three years.

Several of the animals were heavily fertilized and where the manure was released there were large furless areas with blushing skin.

The shortcomings in animal husbandry described in the County Administrative Board's orders are not the only reminders of the farm in Hälsingland.

Among the 210 farms that Assignment Review has requested, there are 38 that deliver milk to Arla.

In addition, among the 38 Arla farms, there is an animal owner convicted of animal cruelty, one who is now charged with animal cruelty and one who has been prohibited from taking care of dairy cows.

- First, I want to say that poor animal care is never okay. We take a serious look at this type of problem. We also realize that our quality system has shortcomings that we must now address and we are in full speed to rectify, says Patrik Hansson, CEO of Arla.

While Assignment Review finds over 200 farms that have broken the Animal Welfare Act, there are a large number of farms that were not visited last year. The county administrative boards are only able to control a fraction of all farms in Sweden for one year, just under ten percent.

The chairman of the Swedish National Farmers' Association, Palle Borgström, says that no animals in Sweden should fare badly, but that Assignment review material on animal farms is a "marginal phenomenon".

- Based on all the farms there is still not the general picture. Everything you enumerate is one that should not occur and needs improvement, says Palle Borgström.