Here at Bannister Downs we believe in doing the right thing by you, our cows and the environment.

GM Policy

At Bannister Downs Dairy and Farm we DO NOT use any GM products at any stage of our farming or in the processing of any of our products.

We provide our girls with hay grown at Bannister Downs and we feed grains purchased directly from other GM Free growers in the Great Southern.

Calf Care

All of our poddy calves are left with their mothers for a minimum of 48 hours after birth in order to ensure they receive a good supply of colostrum, before they are taken to our calf rearing paddocks, where they are hand cared for by Jennifer (chief calf carer!) as they frolic around in paddocks of grass and shade.

We also hand rear our baby bull calves before finding homes for them between 6 and 18 months of age according to feed availability and suitable purchasers.  They are transported humanely and generally within a very local vicinity.

Traditional Farming

While we are not certified organic farmers, at Bannister Downs we certainly farm with care and using old fashioned methods with minimal interruption to our precious environment.

We do not make silage due to the huge volume of waste plastic from the wrapping that needs disposal and also it is not degradable.

We fertilise largely with crushed Lime and Chicken manure.

When we have some spare time we will begin to investigate the small changes we would need to make in order to be eligible for Bio-Dynamic Certification – in the meantime we always make decisions based on what we would like to be feeding our own children.  We do not farm on a large commercial scale, but rather as a family using very basic and traditional farming practices.

Zero Additives to our products

We have a strict policy of NOT adding any chemical or un-natural additives of any kind to any of our products – this includes Skim milk powder, permeate, stabilizers, thickeners, colours, gelatine and preservatives.

The only things we do add is a small amount of natural Australian sugar, loads of fresh Australian mango puree, premium rich dutch cocoa and freshly percolated Yahava Espresso Koffee – so you can enjoy the true flavour hit!