Published 13/02/2013

Valentine's Day is only a day away and our Supporting Better Dairy (SBD) campaign is gearing up to send a serious message to MEPs on behalf of Europe's 23 million dairy cows.

An unexpected Valentine's card will be received by MEPs urging them to support the campaign and join the call for Commissioner Borg to introduce a Directive on dairy cow welfare, similar to those already in place for poultry and pigs.

Dairy cows are one of the only animals in Europe that do not have specific rules in place to protect them. So action is urgently needed to ensure protection for these hard working animals.

They need good housing, good feed, good health and the ability to exhibit their natural behaviours.

Dil Peeling, Compassion in World Farming's Director of Campaigns says: "We don't want to see our cows forced indoors with no outdoor access, unable to graze in the summer fields and neither should the MEPs. Please, show a cow some love and bring in a dairy-specific Directive."

The members of the SBD coalition are Ben & Jerry's, WSPA, and Compassion.

For further information about the campaign and how EU citizens can sign the petition, please visit www.happycows.eu.

Find out more:

• Join the Supporting Better Dairy campaign and call for a European Directive on dairy cow welfare.
• Find out more about dairy cows