It was announced this week that the 'powers that be', in the world of milk production, are getting together with farmers and DEFRA to do a study to see if the social structure of a herd of cows can affect the quality and volume of milk production.  

I am not sure just how much this research is going to cost. The only thing that we can be certain of is that is going to be very expensive and all totally unnecessary. All that is needed is for one person to just sit and watch any herd together for a couple of days. 

Most people are very happy that they can choose their own friend, those that they want to be close to. How often do we hear of people becoming friends, even lifetime partners, through a joint interest, hobby or even employment? It is normal for 'birds of a feather to flock together'  but when we are forced to be in close quarters with people that just 'aren't our type of person' we naturally become less than comfortable, even stressed and in that situation become less effective in whatever we are wanting or having to do. 

I remember  having to be in a two bed Duty Cabin every few months with a certain fellow member of the WRNS (Royal Navy). She disliked me intensely and I felt exactly the same about her but we just had to get on with it, which we did. We would only speak when we had to and that was all, whereas when in our mess with the other 16 girls or on duty or with someone that either of us liked she, like me, had quite a giggle. However, our Duties together were a chore and something we both wanted to be over as soon as possible. Not a situation conducive to maximum efficiency!  

People are the most fortunate of all captive beings and can simply choose to separate from those that they find less than desirable to be with but all other captive animals are not so lucky. They truly believe that the situation is forever (and it usually is). This is also another reason that a child that is bullied at school feels so desperate as they see the misery going on for a long time and we all know that even a week is an eternity to a young person. 

I recall being at a rescue centre in Ireland when I noticed that a rather large and vocal bull mastiff was opposite a Cavalier type dog and when I pointed out to the supervisor how fearful the little dog looked, with the noisy giant as its only constant companion, the supervisor immediately saw what I meant and set out to place similar sized dogs together. 

It will always depend on how safe or vulnerable any being feels for them to give of their best, even something like giving  milk! When people take the time to simply observe any group of beings it becomes obvious that when they live in a man made domestic environment they are subject to the "pressure cooker" syndrome of being in an enclosed area with no option for flight or space to move away from those they don't like.   

We see this with dogs and no matter how much it hurts or disappoints an owner, the time can sometimes come when they have to accept that one of their beloved dogs just cannot be close to another in the same household. At that point good management is essential because no amount of persuading will convince a dog that's it's wonderful to be forced to be close to another that it just cannot stand. The fact that we have chosen who they will live with, including ourselves, makes it our responsibility to ensure that we make this as pleasant experience as possible.   

As for the planned study into the relationship between individual cows and milk production, just watch a herd for a couple of hours, especially when they are being driven into a barn or at feed time and you will easy see who is happy, who is not and what individuals need to be kept apart. It isn't rocket science but I wonder how many millions will need to be spent to arrive at the same conclusions?  

Jan Fennell

 2nd August 2012