We will never compromise on exceptional animal welfare.
Our state-of-the-art dairy unit – Lea Manor Farm – is home to 2,600 dairy cows living in specially designed open-sided barns that are larger than typical industry standards to improve their comfort and welfare.
The barns provide shelter, allow plenty of natural light and airflow, space for the cows to roam, and access to high-quality food and water as they choose. We feed our cows home-grown forage, as well as grains rich in energy, proteins, and antioxidants such as maize, wheat, barley, oats, rye, triticale, and legumes to provide the nutrients they need.
The herd is milked three times a day on a rotating parlour, in a light, calm and quiet environment that is stress-free for the cows and that enables efficient milking.
Applying technology in respect of nature
Adopting innovative technologies to complement and enhance the experience and expertise of our award-winning teams and systems means we can gather unprecedented amounts of data, often in real-time, to make informed and ultimately better decisions. Improved monitoring has reduced the incidence of illnesses – including mastitis and lameness which can frequently affect cow herds – to industry-leading levels and our use of antibiotics has fallen by 60% over five years.
Collars, which act like fitness trackers for cows, provide up-to-the-second telemetry on activity, monitoring feeding, and rumination – time spent lying down and chewing the cud is an indicator of health and welfare – as well as fertility, improving reproduction.
Herd management systems monitor each individual cow’s welfare and milk production, providing real-time, actionable information on key indicators such as milk flow and quantity.
Combining robotics with AI technology, we have implemented an autonomous post-milking spray system to disinfect cows’ teats, improving coverage, enhancing welfare, and freeing up employee time for other important tasks.
Autonomous video monitoring combines real-time footage with AI algorithms to analyse each cow’s gait as it leaves the parlour meaning that we can detect and treat lameness earlier, improving welfare and reducing the need for antibiotics.
We use feeding technology that more accurately and consistently delivers the precise mixture of nutrients and quantity of forage while reducing waste.
Farm assurance
Holding recognised industry standards and assurances and complying with routine tests and inspections by the Environmental Agency, Red Tractor, and the Food Standards Agency (FSA), we are proud to go above and beyond minimum requirements, striving to constantly improve animal welfare, sustainability, milk safety, and quality.
We are an original member of Tesco’s Sustainable Dairy Group (TSDG) which, through its Livestock Codes of Practice, aims to ensure producers farm sustainably, ethically, and with the cows’ best welfare in mind. All Tesco dairy farmers must adhere to the nationally recognised Red Tractor assurance scheme, as well as additional Tesco standards on cow health and welfare.
We implement a herd-wide health plan that can flexibly be tailored to address specific needs. Twice weekly, specialist vets visit our farms to perform an additional check, above and beyond that of our own experienced herdsmen and women, on the welfare of our animals, also providing 24-hour emergency cover.
Maintaining high standards of hygiene and security, we operate openly and transparently, regularly welcoming specialist agricultural publications, farming groups, members of our local communities, universities, agricultural colleges, and school children, to see Lea Manor Farm and better understand our innovative approaches.