Cow!

They may well be Holstein - they have them in France and we used to be exactly like you when we saw them at agricultural fairs - but as they always look the same I think it must be their build. This is the only type of cow I have ever seen with this shape as the Limousine, and Charolais etc are rounded at the rear end.

Milk cows do look have a skinnier, leaner look than cows bred for their meat. This stick your hip bone is normal. Check if they have good full udders. If they were underfed they would lose their milk.
I'm not a farmer but I am (was) a country girl and have experience of farms and farm animals. It's good that you are concerned as there are some pretty awful farmers out there as well as some great ones.

Should read 'stick-up hip bone' - my iPad is in control mood!

Dairy cows usually have this shape, the chubby ones are bred for beef. They should, however have nice healthy looking eyes and probably big udders. Most farmers are very caring of their animals, not least because each one is worth a lot of money alive and nothing dead - they are a major financial investment.

Thank you all. This does seem reassuring, although having googled Holsteins (thank you Bez ), this herd does look thinner than the images I can find.

I may continue to keep an eye is there is a lot of evidence that the farm is very run-down and I do know that the owners are elderly ( dodgy comment to use in this arena I know ...but hope everyone appreciates the sentiment )
As DD's are always telling me, I seem to need something to keep my 'worry count' topped up!

My least favourite dairy farmer was one near Wenlock who had a public footpath running between paddocks and milking parlour. Ankle deep in cow muck. Just about managed to navigate without getting any inside boots.
You do sometimes see dilapidated farms if walking in quiet areas. e.g. one with sheep carcasses lying around in farmyard. There is a high rate of depression amongst farmers - I suppose sometimes the whole thing gets too much to cope with.