What does the milk buying public think?

As I have travelled around the UK this Summer I have been asking the question "How do you think milk is produced?" maybe I need to refine this question because the usual answer is "What do you mean?".
I was always taught not to answer a question with a question, but this response maybe tells a story in itself

Does it tell me that no-one really has an opinion?
Once I have been asked the question "What do you mean?" I have to then start to ask a few more leading questions like
"Well, what do you think cows eat?" Most popular answer by far GRASS
"Where do cows live?" Most popular answer FIELDS
"What do you think of 8000 cows kept inside?" Most popular answer "that sounds awful"
"But, they are really well looked after, in fact probably the best looked after cows ever..." Answer: it still sounds awful.
Now, this is a very minor survey of a few people I meet along the way at events my children attend and people in the pub.
But, the only other surveys I have come across that are out there are by DairyCo (I have to declare my interest as a board member here) whose consumer survey suggests that 62% the people asked think UK Dairy Farmers do a good job. (Yippee!!)
Another survey by an animal welfare group said 2/3 of shoppers would not buy milk produced on large scale indoor dairy units. (Hmmm not so good)
So, like with all surveys it matters what your question is, it also matters how hard you SHOUT OUT THE RESULTS!!!
I have to say that if I was editor of the Daily Mail I think I would go with "2/3 shoppers shun factory milk" to the much nicer "2/3 of poeple think farmers do a good job" Its gonna sell more papers lets face it.
I think that most people think that dairy farming in general involves fields and grass. The DairyCo survey seems to suggest this as well, it also suggests people would like cows to be well looked after, but are fairly split (or would you say indifferent) to cows being kep inside all year round.
If we want the general public to accept milk from herds housed all year round then there is a huge learning exsercise involved.
The fact that the knowledge that milk is produced in this way is "out there" and the fact that animal welfare activists have the issue well and truly in their sights means that the Dairy industry is well behind the curve.
I am not for or against a large scale dairy like Nocton Dairies which will have 8100 cows kept inside all year I am, like most of the general public it would seem, indifferent to it.
My worry is that whatever sytem you use produce milk in could be affected by any adverse publicity this will generate.
My cows have as much chance to eat grass as I can give them, I like it that way and at the moment it is reasonably profitable.
If demand for milk is hit or adverse press reduced my milk price then my profitability might go out of the window.
Large Scale Dairying is a challenge for the industry- at the moment I think there is room for every system- but like with GM I think that maybe the consumer should have a choice of how the milk they buy is produced. Then they can put their money where their mouth is.........