Cow-Calf Contact News

Surveys on CCC Systems –Share your experience & help shape future CCC practices

A mum and her calf. Photo: Ian Findlay / The Ethical Dairy

​TDN is running two surveys on Cow-Calf Contact (CCC) systems. Whether you have years of experience, are just exploring the idea, or remain unconvinced, your perspective is valuable.

1) For farmers, advisors, and veterinarians

Your experience can help shape the future of sustainable dairy farming in Europe. By participating, you will contribute to:

• Practical best-practice guides
• Evidence-based recommendations for farmers, vets, researchers, and policymakers
• Tools to support implementation at every stage

You’ll also gain access to shared knowledge from farms across Europe, strengthening the dairy sector as a whole.

2) For industry stakeholders (breeding organisations, dairy companies, retailers of dairy/beef products)

Your input is equally important! Help us:

• Map the European CCC landscape in breeding, production, and retail
• Identify barriers to market uptake
• Share best practices and solutions across the sector

Deadline: 31 October 2025 (for both surveys)

Duration: 10–15 minutes (each)

Every voice counts

Thank you for sharing yours!

Successful Events 

EKIN Meeting & 2nd Press Release – Thessaloniki Highlights and one year of progress

The TransformDairyNet project marked a milestone with its first in-person General Assembly and EKIN meeting in Thessaloniki, Greece (May 2025).

With around 60 participants from 14 countries, the event focused on building trust, sharing knowledge, and driving innovation in ethical and sustainable dairy systems based on CCC.

This gathering also marked the release of TDN’s second press release, reflecting on how the meeting became a turning point for connecting people, ideas, and action across Europe.

Click the button below to watch the full recording of the event:

Thessaloniki meeting (21-23 May 2025) 

First Successful Webinar: Veterinary Insights on Cow-Calf Contact (CCC) Systems

📅 15 September 2025 at 15:00 CEST 

The first official TDN webinar was a great success with more than 200 attendees! The session explored the role of veterinarians in supporting Cow-Calf Contact systems. We heard from:

• Siobhan Mullan (Project Coordinator) – Overview of the project and its objectives
• Ulrike Sorge – Head of the Udder Health and Milk Quality Department, Bavarian Animal Health Services, Germany – Transitioning from conventional to CCC rearing systems
• William McCarthy – Veterinary Surgeon & Director at Galloway Vets Ltd, UK (Veterinarian at The Ethical Dairy) – Pathological impacts and solutions in CCC systems

The webinar concluded with a lively Q&A session addressing participants’ questions.

Check out the recording, presentations and Q&A below:

Future Events 

Save the Date: 2026 TDN EKIN Meeting in Bucharest

Following Thessaloniki’s success, TransformDairyNet will host its second EKIN meeting on 20 May 2026 in Bucharest, Romania—a key opportunity to exchange insights on Cow-Calf Contact (CCC) systems and sustainable dairy farming.

NIP Updates 

CCC Progress Across Europe

TransformDairyNet's 11 National Innovation Practice Hubs (NIPs) are making real strides in advancing Cow-Calf Contact (CCC) systems—from barn visits in Austria to peer exchanges in Scandinavia.

With their Living Lab proposals submitted, the NIPs have reached a milestone in co-developing practical, high-welfare dairy solutions.

Read the last NIP update here.

The NNF's in Thessaloniki

Farm visits: First Steps of the Austrian National Hub

In December 2024, the Austrian National Innovation Practice Hub was launched with a workshop and barn visit at Raumberg-Gumpenstein. Although not yet using a Cow-Calf Contact (CCC) system, the farm was exploring future options and the group analysed them.

During their second meeting, the group visited two organic farms using different CCC approaches. One farm keeps calves with mothers in a composting barn and processes milk on-site. The other milks once daily, aligning with solar power peaks, and leaves the second milking for the calves.

These visits sparked rich peer exchange and built practical CCC knowledge among Austrian NIP members.

Farm visits in Austria

Cow-Calf Contact Workshop: How Long is Long Enough?

During the General Assembly in Thessaloniki, a dedicated workshop on CCC systems and chaired by WP3, brought together partners and invited guests to explore a key question: how long should calves stay with their own dam or a foster cow to ensure optimal welfare and development?

The discussion explored both the acceptable minimum and the desirable duration of contact, with suggestions ranging from a few days to several months, reflecting a wide range of perspectives.

Scientific evidence shows that extended Cow-Calf Contact supports maternal bonding, enhanced social behaviours, and lower fearfulness in calves. Also physiologically, there is evidence for better growth and immune development of the calves. A longer contact duration could be beneficial, since calves rely on milk as their main energy source during the first months of life and a calf’s rumen needs at least 17 weeks to develop.

The workshop concluded by acknowledging the complex challenge of balancing the benefits of maternal care with the potential stress of separation. If a minimum contact duration for CCC is set, there is a need to clearly differentiate whether this specifies the age of weaning start or the age of weaning end and whether contact times without a suckling opportunity should be likewise included. Participants underlined the importance of developing clear welfare standards to guide the implementation of CCC systems in diverse farming contexts.

Thessaloniki meeting (21-23 May 2025) 

New deliverables available

TransformDairyNet has published two key reports advancing our understanding of Cow-Calf Contact (CCC) dairy systems:

Report on Regulatory Requirements 

This WP3 report offers a comprehensive analysis of how European and national regulations—covering animal welfare, transport, organic farming, breeding, animal health, and food hygiene—interact with CCC practices. It highlights regulatory challenges such as transport rules and barn adaptations, alignment with organic standards, and managing milk quality and breeding data.

Resource Flow Diagrams Comparing CCC and Conventional Dairy
 
This WP4 report presents detailed resource flow diagrams and analyses comparing CCC and conventional dairy systems. It explores sustainability aspects including carbon and water flows, antibiotic use, worker satisfaction, and animal welfare. This work lays the foundation for developing tailored sustainability models that fairly reflect CCC’s unique characteristics.

Both reports are essential resources for supporting the growth and scaling of ethical, sustainable dairy farming across Europe.

TransformDairyNet Consortium

Funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or REA. Neither the European Union nor REA can be held responsible for them.