Despite the recent cold snap, cattle are gradually reappearing in the fields after spending their winter indoors. Many dairy farmers gradually reintroduce their milking cows to a grazing regime by letting them out to grass during the day, but keeping them indoors for the night after their afternoon milking. Others prefer to keep their cattle indoors all the time.

Beef cattle that are being fattened are often kept indoors until they are slaughtered, because letting them out to grass might lead to poorer growth rates, particularly if the summer is a cold, wet one. The problem with grass is that its feed value varies with the seasons. While spring grass can be fairly nutritious, it soon loses much of its nutritive value as the summer progresses to autumn.

Total mixed rations (TMRs) that are made up of ingredients like silage, processed cereals, protein supplements and minerals only vary when the farmer adds new ingredients. TMRs allow the farmer to accurately supply the correct rations to his cattle to enable him to achieve optimum growth rates.

Modern, high-performing dairy cows are fragile creatures that don't necessarily enjoy being outside in all weathers. Apart from that, as with beef cattle there is the stress of changing from a TMR winter diet to one of grass in the spring, and then changing back to winter rations in the autumn. So cows kept indoors all-year-round are much better fed and never have to undergo the stress of a radical change of diet.

Modern dairy buildings can best be described as cow palaces. They are light, airy and have the facility to regulate ventilation so that the temperature in the sheds can be controlled. Cows are free to wander as they please between the area where they lie and rest in individual cubicles and the area where they lounge about and feed. Their cubicles have very comfortable, foam-rubber mats on which to lie, everywhere is kept spotlessly clean by automatic scrapers that remove their muck, and there are even strategically-sited brushes to rub against when they have an itchy back or sides.

Those that graze outside during the summer months have to seek shelter from cold winds and rain, or huddle together for shade in hot sunny weather, swishing their tails in a vain attempt to ward off swarms of irritating flies. They also have the chore of walking to and from the fields twice a day to be milked. Not much fun for a cow with an udder full of milk, especially in wet weather when their feet can be injured by trampling on sharp stones concealed in mud.

I can confidently state that if dairy cows had any say in the matter, they would vote for staying indoors all-year-round.

Non-farming folk tend to look on an animal's environment from their own perspective and think of cows kept indoors all-year-round as prisoners denied their freedom. It is important to understand that farmers have selectively bred farm animals to be comfortable in the conditions under which they are kept.

Lack of understanding and misconceptions have led to a marketing ploy to gain a premium for milk produced under traditional grazing systems.

Supermarket giant ASDA has launched "Free Range Dairy Farmers Milk" saying it offers a choice to conscientious consumers that guarantees that cows have been grazed for at least 180 days a year. The Pasture Promise logo is the only label that provides this assurance." What a load of nonsense.

Consumers now have a choice of whole milk, semi-skimmed, skimmed, organic and now free range. The difference between free range milk and organic is negligible.

Organic dairy farms in the UK have to meet strict independent, legally binding production standards and are audited annually in line with a range of regulatory criteria enforced by organic certification bodies. These standards state that organic cows must by law, spend as much time outside on pasture as conditions allow and that they must be fed a grass-rich diet. In practical terms, this means organic cows are typically grazed for 200 days.

Producers of organic milk claim that their production system offers other benefits, by guaranteeing their cows are fed on a diet free from artificial fertilisers, chemicals and genetically modified ingredients.

I can understand why some might fall for the clever marketing ploy of claiming free range or organic milk are superior and worth paying a premium for, but I will continue to seek the cheapest, semi-skimmed.