As a long term vegetarian I assumed that eating dairy products doesn’t cause any harm to animals. Even my ancestors were lacto vegetarians (no eggs) and like many people I like a bit of cheese and butter. It isn’t like the meat industry where animals are slaughtered to fill people’s bellies. Or is it? The naïve assumption that dairy cows avoid being slaughtered so humans can drink milk is a myth.
Like humans, cows only produce milk to feed their young therefore dairy cows have to be kept pregnant to keep producing milk. The dairy industry doesn’t want all these calves that are produced in their quest for milk. Calves are taken away from their mothers, usually within the first 72 hours of birth.
The dairy industry are slaughterhouse industries. The unnatural physical demands placed on cows results in a premature killing of around a quarter of all dairy cows every year. By the age of five years most cows are worn out and the demands of constant milking take their toll. Often cows are slaughtered at only four to five years old though they can naturally live to their twenties.
Life of a dairy cow
Cows need to be impregnated every year to give a constant supply of milk. This is usually done by mechanical ‘raping’. The cow has no choice in the matter. The dairy production process means the cow will give birth to a calf each year. A dairy cow will have her first calf when 2 years old. The cow will continue to be milked for about 10 months. I imagine this causes very sore udders. This condition is actually called Mastitis and means pus drips from a cows udders into milk. Milk containing up to four hundred million pus cells per litre can legally be sold here in the UK. Bet you’ll pass on that milkshake now right?
During the final few weeks of pregnancy the cow will finally have a short rest and is ‘dried out’. To maximise production, each calf is taken from its mother within 72 hours of birth. Calves would naturally suckle for 9-12 months, and also separation is upsetting as mother and calf form a strong bond. Cows often bellow out in distress when their calves are taken away from them, and this grief is demonstrated when some cows escape to search for their young.
Artificial insemination is usually used as farms find it easier than keeping a bull. Also it appears that more invasive practices such as embryo transfer are growing in the UK which is a little disturbing. Many cows survive on silage (wet grass) and unnatural (to them) protein sources such as maize, fishmeal and soya – these are often GM which doesn’t help the cow stay in good health. It has been admitted that some cows are even fed cement dust and chicken manure. Fortunately bovine hormones are illegal in the UK but antibiotics are used to prevent disease. This has been argued as being a factor in the increase in antibiotic-resistant bacteria.
After the exhaustion of constant pregnancy and lactation the dairy cow is rewarded by being sent to the slaughterhouse as soon as her production of milk reduces. Modern dairies are all about profits and minimising overheads. There is little place for ethics in modern dairy production.
The by-products of the Dairy Industry
You may be wondering what happens to the calf once separated from the mother. Well girl calves (if healthy) follow in their mothers footsteps and become dairy calves. Boy calves are usually killed (the government advised shooting with a bullet). This policy was called the calf processing scheme. I cannot believe a subsidy was then paid to the producer.
Though demand for British beef has increased since the BSE crisis, it still isn’t very high. Most calves are considered a waste by-product and are killed within a week or two for baby food, or other animal based ingredients.
I would recommend reading MilkMyths article The Dark Side of Dairy. This article covers the UK dairy industry and the life of a cow in a lot more detail with a lot of facts and figures.
Slaughter
Farm animals are increasingly being sent away to larger slaughterhouses. This means that animals are transported over long distances and this is one thing that was highlighted as a factor in the spread of Foot & Mouth Disease.
EU rules allow cattle to travel for 14 hours without a rest or water. This is a long time to stand without space to turn around and many cows are already in a sorry state before boarding transportation. Some cows die en route to the slaughterhouse from heat exhaustion, hunger and stress. Once at the slaughterhouse cows are stunned using a pistol and then shackled by the leg. They then leave this world by having their throats slit.
The effect of the Dairy industry on the planet
A 2006 UN report shows that raising animals for livestock generates more carbon emissions than ALL the world’s transport (including aircraft) put together. It is estimated that the meat and dairy industry accounts for 8% of UK carbon emissions compared to the airline industry’s 2.5%. The only true way to make a difference to your carbon footprint is to go vegan.
The UN also report that herds cause land degradation to about 20% of pastures. Water pollution is caused by animal waste, antibiotics, hormones and related chemicals used when dealing with livestock. This report actually raised concerns about the risk to public health particularly of animal diseases affecting humans. With the current swine flu we can see this is a real concern. A more recent UN report in March 2009 points out that increased agriculture is playing a large part in water shortages. Water now needs to be managed as some countries are reaching their limits for water. Demand of water for agriculture is likely to increase from 70% to 90% by 2050.
The unnatural practice of feeding herbivores meat and bone meal led to Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy (BSE) or “mad cow disease”. BSE is an infectious and incurable disease that attacks the brain and nervous system of cattle. The UK has the highest level of BSE in the world. It is now accepted that BSE may never be eliminated altogether. It is believed that the cause of CJD (Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease) is likely to be exposure to BSE via infected beef.
Some people are unaware that both the dairy and meat industries are heavily subsidised by the EU and as such are a drain on resources. It doesn’t make sense to pour money into such unethical practices. Friend of the Earth reveal that over £700 million of taxpayers’ money is used to prop up the factory-farming industry each year. However it is large factory farms that rake in subsidies, and small farms are in decline.
Is there such a thing as cruelty free dairy?
The only possible source of truly cruelty free dairy is from an ISKCON centre. Please see the ISKCOWP site as an example of how they treat cows. Please note priority is given to the calves, religious ceremonies and devotees. There may only be a small amount of surplus milk. It may be worth contacting your local ISKCON temple to see whether it is possible to purchase some milk. It is nice to see how cows are looked after and you can even adopt a cow.
You may even know someone who has the time and space to keep a cow and treats it humanely. This type of cruelty free dairy will probably only come from a non-profit making person. As the calf is entitled to first dibs on the milk there may not be much available to buy from someone raising a cow as a hobby.
I’m afraid ‘organic’ doesn’t mean cruelty free. The continuous pregnancies, slaughter of calves, disease and eventual slaughter still occur. Organic just means that no GM, solvent or animal derived foods are fed to cows and they aren’t given antibiotics. Some claim that cows are kept in a better manner to non-organic farms but this has been debated.
What can I do?
For myself veganism is the only way at the moment. The life of a dairy cow is worse than of any other livestock. Being kept alive, forced into pregnancy and having your milk pumped out of you while losing your calves is the most distressing thing I can think of. It is disgusting and I guess most people don’t like to think about it. I believe you should make all your choices consciously, and now so can you.
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