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Compliance with the requirements and conditions of the ELVI label is monitored annually. Compliance is monitored by highly qualified auditors specialising in animal welfare.
Dairy cattle farms are generally divided into two types of barns: tie-stall barns and free-stall barns. In Finland, approximately 62% of dairy farms are tie-stalls and in these live 38% of Finnish dairy cows.[1]In tie-stall barns, the cows live tied to their place, and their movements are limited to a few steps forward, backward, and sideways.
Finwelfare Ltd's board, consisting of experts on animal welfare, has aligned that dairy products sold under the ELVI label cannot originate from a tie-stall barn, hence farms under the ELVI label are always free-stall barns.. In free-stall barns, cows move freely in the cowhouse, for example between the lying area and the feeding area, without being tethered.
A cow’s high daily need to move is more likely to be fulfilled in a free-stall barn. In addition, a free-stall barn allows cows to engage in very important social behaviours, such as scratching and grooming each other. It also gives cows the freedom to groom themselves and to choose where they want to lie down and eat.
[1] 2022 Report to Parliament: https://www.eduskunta.fi/FI/vaski/HallituksenEsitys/Sivut/HE_186+2022.aspx
In Finland, the Animal Welfare Act does not oblige farms to give their animals outdoor access. Only cows on tie-stall barns must be allowed to exercise, either in the pasture or in the outdoor exercise area, for at least 90 days a year. However, this may be done, for example, in a fenced yard area with asphalt paving. Grazing is not required.
Finwelfare Ltd's board consisting of experts on animal welfare has aligned that dairy products sold under the ELVI label should always originate from farms where cows have access to pasture. Farms may, depending on their possibilities, choose either a shorter grazing period (60 days) combined with winter outdoor exercise, or an extended grazing period (120 days) without winter outdoor exercise. In contrast to other schemes, on farms under the ELVI label, outdoor exercise and grazing are verified when it is carried out, rather than, for example, based on farm records alone.
At pasture, cows are free to engage in natural behaviours that are important to them, such as exploring the environment, selecting their food, and carrying out unrestricted lying and herd behaviours. Grazing has also been shown to have several health benefits for cows.
Finwelfare Ltd also wants to encourage farms to implement so-called "recreational grazing", which is why it is also allowed. In Finland, the grazing season is short, and pastures often deteriorate early in the autumn. Recreational pastures, such as forest pastures, can provide cows with a longer grazing season and a varied and diverse outdoor environment where they can retreat to shelter from the weather, as well as care for their bodies on trees and boulders. Cattle, especially heifers, can also be used to manage valuable rural heritage habitats (traditional biotopes).
It is legal and customary in Finland to rear cattle, especially heifers and beef cattle, on concrete floors. The legislation allows calves already as young as two weeks old to be moved to concrete floor pens without bedding material. Concrete floor pens without a padded lying area are uncomfortable for heavy animals, often slippery, and lead to various health and welfare problems. The need to lay down is extremely important for cattle, and in good conditions, they spend more than half of their day lying down. Hard surfaces make it difficult and painful for the animals to lie down, so they reduce the time spent lying down, which is detrimental to their welfare.
Finwelfare Ltd's board consisting of experts on animal welfare has aligned that on farms operating under the ELVI label, cattle (regardless of their use) cannot be reared in concrete floor pens. The rubber coating of the concrete flooring is also insufficient as padding. Cattle must have a soft lying area (such as a raised lying area or cubicles) combined with regular outdoor exercise or a deep-bedded pack pen that is soft and firm.
A heifer is defined as a female cow that has not yet calved. Heifers are young, playful, and active to be dairy cows. Unfortunately, heifers are often reared in overcrowded pens and/or hard surfaces. Dry cows are long gestation cows and therefore often clumsier than other groups of animals. They rest a lot and prepare for the calving to come. Slippery floors, cramped lying areas, or stressful environments have a significantly negative impact on their welfare. In the ELVI conditions for dairy cattle, the above-mentioned resting comfort requirements are targeted at these animal groups. On farms under the ELVI label, heifers and dry cows must therefore have a soft lying area (such as a raised lying area or cubicles) combined with regular outdoor exercise or a deep bedded pack pen.
The resting comfort of lactating and dry cows is verified on ELVI farms using the official Welfare Quality (WQ) criteria. During the WelfareQuality audits, the ease of lying down movements, the dimensioning of the lying area, the cleanliness of the animals (a dry and clean lying area also keeps the cows clean), the condition of the cows' skin (whether the lying down movements or some structures in the lying area cause skin abrasions) and the behaviour of the cows prior and during resting are monitored.
On farms under the ELVI label, a separate minimum score, which is higher than the score required for an enhanced WelfareQuality grade, is set for housing conditions, including comfort around resting.
Finnish legislation allows calves over the age of two weeks to be kept in a concrete-based pen without bedding material, and calves to be reared in individual pens until they are eight weeks old. Research shows that individual rearing reduces a calf's ability to cope with stress later in life and has a negative impact on its social skills and learning abilities. For calves, playing is an important behavioural need that they cannot fulfil in individual rearing.
On farms under the ELVI label, calves may be kept in individual pens for a maximum of two first weeks of their lives, after which they must be moved to a paired or group housing system, at the latest.Exceptions to this policy may only be made based on a note from the herd health veterinarian, for example in cases where the management of an infectious disease on the farm so requires.
There are also additional requirements for the milk feeding of calves. The legislation does not specify a minimum quantity of milk or milk feed to be given to calves. On farms under the ELVI label, calves must receive more than 8 litres of milk or milk feed per day during the suckling period.
Between audits, all animal groups on ELVI farms are monitored via databases for instance on feeding and water adequacy, living condition indicators, and disease status. In addition, for dairy cows, the level of milk yield, the implementation of grazing and outdoor access, and foot health indicators are monitored. For young cattle, the monitoring also focuses on growth and compliance with space requirements, and for calves, on the way milk feeding is carried out, among other things. However, the database verification does not replace but complements the audit on the farm.
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