Rise in Indoor Dairy Farming in the Netherlands Despite Grazing Initiatives

In 2024, the number of dairy cows housed permanently indoors in the Netherlands surged by 12% compared to 2023, with preliminary figures showing an increase of over 50,000 cows, according to Statistics Netherlands (CBS). Over 20% of Dutch dairy farms now keep their cows exclusively indoors. The total dairy cow population stands at 1.5 million, with over 460,000—or about 31%—not stepping outside at all.

This trend goes against the efforts of the Convenant Weidegang (Grazing Agreement), launched in 2012, which encourages outdoor grazing to lower ammonia emissions as part of the EU's common agricultural policy. Despite incentives for milk from grazing cows, more farms are opting for indoor housing.

In 2024, out of the Netherlands' 538 organic dairy farms, accounting for 3% of all dairy cows, organic cows grazing for 202 days on average, 52 days more than non-organic cows. While non-organic cows' grazing days dropped by six to 150, organic cows increased their outdoor time by three days. Day-and-night grazing on organic farms remains higher at 39% compared to 14% for non-organic. Organic cows spent an average of nine hours outdoors during the day, and 19 hours during day-and-night grazing, compared to seven and 16 hours for non-organic cows, respectively.