Vegan Info - The Dairy Industry

"For those who eat a balanced diet, drinking milk isn’t necessary for good health, according to Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health’s Walter Willett and Jorge Chavarro...For people eating a healthy diet, milk isn’t needed for nutrients like calcium, which can also be found in foods such as beans, vegetables, whole grains, fish, nuts, seeds, and tofu."
Source: https://www.hsph.harvard.edu

"With at least one in three Britons now drinking plant-based milks..."
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/

Animal Aid: "When we launched our national, anti-dairy TV and cinema ad back in March, we expected pushback from the industry. A recent piece, published yesterday in Farming Life, claims that while organisations like us resort to 'scare tactics' dairy farmers have a more principled way of arguing their case: “honesty'.
Let’s examine that, shall we?"
Source: Animal Aid

    "Dairy cows are required to give birth to one calf annually in order to produce milk for 10 months of the year. They are usually artificially inseminated within three months of giving birth. Dairy cows can often only produce very high milk yields for an average of 3 years, after which they are slaughtered and the meat is normally used for beef...
    Naturally, calves suckle from their mothers for up to a year, and maintain a strong bond with her for several years. However in commercial dairy farming, nearly all calves are taken away from their mother within hours of birth. This causes severe distress to both the cow and the calf, and has long-term effects on the calf’s physical and social development. Most female calves will be reared to join the milking herd but as male calves cannot produce milk, they are considered surplus to the dairy industry. Male calves will either be shot after birth, or sold to be reared for veal or beef. Calves destined for the meat industry may be transported for several days over long distances by road and/ship, to rearing facilities which may be in different countries."
Source and full article: https://www.ciwf.org.uk

    "A cow can live for around 20 years but in commercial systems she will be culled at 6 years old, on average. She can give birth from 2-3 years old. Dairy cows have a hierarchical social structure and communicate by touch, smell, vocalisations and body language. It is thought that cows can identify 50-70 different cows.
    The farmer normally separates the calf from the cow within the first few days, so that the cow can be milked for human consumption. Cows typically give birth for the first time at about 2 – 3 years old. Calves are able to stand almost immediately after being born. The cow has a strong maternal instinct and is normally distressed by the removal of her calf. Both the calf and mother will make loud calls trying to locate each other and mother will make loud calls trying to locate each other after they are separated.
    The slaughtering of cattle is normally performed at an abattoir but if a cow is injured on the farm and unable to travel, it may be shot on farm. Cows can be killed using several different methods: -
  Non-penetrating captive bolt gun: A gun-like device is used for stunning and strikes the skull to induce unconsciousness; the throat is then cut. This is just used for calves as it is not effective enough for adult cattle.
  Penetrating captive bolt gun: As above but it can also kill the animal as the rod penetrates the skull and destroys the brain. The throat is then cut to bleed the animal. This is commonly used for adult cattle.
  Electrical stunning: electrodes are placed across the animal’s brain and a current is applied for a few seconds; once unconscious the throat is cut and the animal dies from blood loss. This is rarely used in cattle.
- Current EU legislation stipulates that animals must be stunned before slaughter however there is an exception for religious communities , to slaughter without pre stunning. The majority of animals killed in the UK for halal slaughter are stunned first, since many Muslims believe this is an acceptable part of the slaughter process. However, some religious slaughter is done without pre-stunning; animals killed for Halal or Kosher meat will have their throats cut while conscious and die from blood loss. In some countries animals may be killed by this method regardless of religion."
Source and full article: https://www.ciwf.org.uk/

    "Cows are highly social animals with a strict hierarchy. Within herds, the social structure is based on matriarchal families; mother cows and their daughters remain grooming and grazing partners for life and typically have very strong bonds with each other. Cows also form lifelong friendships with other cows to form a herd, and calves befriend other calves for the rest of their lives.
    Just like humans, cows are extremely protective and caring of their offspring. They give birth in private and hide the calf in long grass out of sight for about a week before introducing the newborn to the rest of the herd. The herd approves the new member who then joins them. Female calves suckle from their mother for nine months and then stay together for the rest of their lives. Male calves suckle for about a year and then leave to join a bachelor herd...Studies have shown that cows enjoy problem-solving, recognise individual humans, play games and have a variety of vocal calls to communicate with one another. Cows have different personalities, hold grudges with one another, bicker, bond and form friendships that can last a literal lifetime...
    The process of AI (artificial insemination) is painful and traumatic for cows, who are forced into confined spaces to be impregnated. The farmer inserts one arm into the cow’s anus to manipulate her reproductive organs while an AI gun is inserted into her vagina to deposit sperm. This highly unnatural way of impregnation causes cows distress, particularly as any mishandling of her organs can lead to severe pain and nerve damage. Inexperienced farmers practise on live animals and this inevitably leads to injuries.
    Following a nine-month pregnancy, the vast majority of calves are separated from their mother only hours or a few days after birth. The industry argues that this is for the health of the calf! They claim it better enables them to measure the amount of colostrum – a form of milk that precedes the main milk supply and which contains antibodies to protect newborns against disease. In reality, calves are removed so all the cow’s milk can be taken for human consumption.
    The separation process is a painfully emotional experience, with mother cows bellowing for days, looking for their lost babies. Female calves are replacements for the milking herd and are moved to isolated plastic hutches – much like an outdoor dog kennel – sometimes just metres away from their mothers. Here they’ll legally spend up to eight weeks before being transferred to group housing with other young females awaiting a life sentence of suffering.
    It is not uncommon to find calves of up to six months old still living in isolation, struggling to fit inside their hutches, which were designed for much smaller animals. On a farm in South Devon, footage obtained by Viva! Campaigns showed calves of more than 12 weeks old still living in solitary hutches with little room to turn around let alone exercise. They were without food, water and maternal nurturing.
    If the calf is born a male, he is seen as a useless ‘by-product’ and either sold for cheap meat (beef as well as veal) or killed. A young calf at the centre of a 2011 Viva! Campaigns investigation into dairy farms supplying Cadbury, was shot in the head on the back of a truck and his body given to the local foxhounds for food. In 2015, industry figures stated 95,000 newborn male calves were shot on-farm and was later deemed ‘dairy’s dirty secret’. More recently, in 2020, an AHDB report estimated around 60,000 male calves were killed on-farm every year – which is about 15 per cent of all bull calves born on dairy farms...Unfortunately, many farms instead send baby calves to slaughter – 64,304 under one month old were killed in abattoirs in 2020.
    After suffering their whole lives, worn out dairy cows often endure gruelling journeys to market, where they are likely to be bought and sent to fattening (finishing) farms before being slaughtered and ending up in low-quality beef products, such as pies, burgers, soups and baby food. After only a fraction of their natural 20-year life expectancy – mostly being slaughtered at around six years old – dairy cows are physically exhausted.
    A penetrative captive bolt (it remains attached to the gun) is shot into the forehead of a cow, its percussive impact intended to render the cow immediately unconsciousness. She is then shackled by a hind leg and hoisted up when the slaughter worker will ‘stick’ her and sever both veins and arteries. The cow is then bled to death."
Source and full article: https://viva.org.uk

    Metro reported how Viva! undertook an investigation into a Welsh dairy farm and an investigator said: "In one particularly harrowing clip, I watched a poor cow get beaten 55 times, causing unimaginable distress. Unable to escape, she had to stand and endure the beating inflicted upon her simply for existing." The article also detailed how the investigators said they had found: "On average, the herd was whipped 75 times per milking". Additional video captured by Viva! "included one cow being whipped more than 55 times for seven minutes and some calves were taken from their mothers within 12 hours without having nutrient-rich colostrum (the first milk a mother produces) beforehand." In the case of lameness, this "appeared to be ‘significantly’ higher" than usual, "with one cow ‘so severely lame that she walked on three legs’. Others had ‘severely’ swollen udders which affected their ability to get around." The article also stated "Photographs...seen by Metro.co.uk show the body of a dairy cow on a dirt path by a fenced-up field. In front of it, a long trail of smeared blood is also in view. In two other photos that Viva! described as being ‘straight out of a horror film’, a dead calf can be seen lying on hay with most of its body having been eaten down to the bone. Its eyes and ears are also missing."
Source: https://metro.co.uk/

    Even a dairy farm that claimed to treat the animals humanely has been exposed. On 19 December 2024, the Bureau of Investigative Journalism reported that it had seen photos showing "some of the farm’s cattle with injuries and scars," and "many of the cows and oxen at the farm have at least some scarring or other health issues." Furthermore, some of animals had been kept "in alarmingly unsanitary conditions that put them at risk of disease." Other pictures revealed "animals standing ankle-deep in a mass of manure that covers the length of the barn. Others show mouldy feed and water troughs containing algae."
Source: Bureau of Investigative Journalism

"Current evidence provides a good indication that replacing cow’s milk with soymilk (including sweetened soymilk) does not adversely affect established cardiometabolic risk factors and may result in advantages for blood lipids, blood pressure, and inflammation in adults with a mix of health statuses."
Source: https://bmcmedicine.biomedcentral.com/

"Combined, this evidence from observational studies shows a statistically significant association between soy consumption and decreased PCa [Prostate cancer] risk."
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

"Conclusion: The consumption of soy isoflavones can reduce the risk of breast cancer in pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women."
Source: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

"Soyfoods have long been recognized as sources of high-quality protein and healthful fat, but over the past 25 years these foods have been rigorously investigated for their role in chronic disease prevention and treatment. There is evidence, for example, that they reduce risk of coronary heart disease and breast and prostate cancer. In addition, soy alleviates hot flashes and may favorably affect renal function, alleviate depressive symptoms and improve skin health. Much of the focus on soyfoods is because they are uniquely-rich sources of isoflavones. Isoflavones are classified as both phytoestrogens and selective estrogen receptor modulators. Despite the many proposed benefits, the presence of isoflavones has led to concerns that soy may exert untoward effects in some individuals. However, these concerns are based primarily on animal studies, whereas the human research supports the safety and benefits of soyfoods...
Each gram of soy protein in soybeans and traditional soyfoods is associated with approximately 3.5 mg of isoflavones [89]. Consequently, one serving of a traditional soyfood, such as 100 g of tofu or 250 mL soymilk, typically provides about 25 mg isoflavones."
Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

Articles about the dairy industry
     10 dairy facts the industry doesn’t want you to know
     18 images big dairy doesn’t want you to see
     A big U.S. dairy farm exposed: Workers kick, punch & electrify cows
     Alleged animal abuse in US dairy sector under investigation
     Animal Equality disappointed by lenient sentence for dairy worker who violently beat cows and young calves.
     Animals raised to produce milk
     BBC airs ‘Disturbing’ footage of dairy farm abusing mother cows and calves
     BBC hit with complaints over ‘heartbreaking’ Panorama documentary on cow abuse that left viewers ‘shocked to the core’
     Costa and Iceland milk supplier accused of 'rampant animal cruelty'
     Cows sexually abused, hit and punched at company owned by NFU deputy president, footage shows
     Cow’s milk: A cruel and unhealthy product
     Cruelty-free milk and cheese: Are they really humane?
     Cruelty to cows exposed: The true cost of milk
     Dairy – bad for animals and the planet
     Dairy's dark secret
     Dairy’s ‘dirty secret’: it's still cheaper to kill male calves than to rear them
     Dairy’s lameness epidemic in the UK
     Dehorning: Dairy’s dark secret
     How is the dairy industry cruel to animals?
     Inside the dairy industry
     Investigation: Extreme violence and neglect filmed on UK dairy farm
     Investigation into farm after undercover filming revealed staff 'kicking cows'
     Is dairy farming cruel to bright and emotional cows? Dairy harms animals and the planet—and alternatives are widely available
     Is there such a thing asaAn ‘Ethical dairy farm’?
     Milk madness: The torment of dairy cows
     Suffering in the dairy industry
     Ten things you should know about dairy…
     The dairy industry
     The dairy industry is trying to outlaw plant-based “milk” labels—again
     The milk of human cruelty
     Undercover footage reveals evidence of animal abuse on farm
     Undercover investigator goes public to reveal animal cruelty on California dairy farm
     What does the dairy industry mean to baby cows?
     Why is the dairy industry cruel?

     Also: The farce of "Red Tractor" accreditation. See also reports by BBC, Mirror, Independent, and Peta

Videos
     Animal Aid : Where does milk come from?
     Animal Equality exposes shocking cruelty at cattle markets
     BBC Panorama shows extreme abuse in the dairy industry.
     Dairy destroys families.
     Dairy investigation exposes heartbreaking cruelty to cows.
     Motherhood and the dairy industry.
     Organic dairy farm investigation.
     The dairy industry.
     The dairy industry in 360 degrees.
     The truth about the milk industry.
     UK dairy farm investigation 2017.
     What does the dairy industry mean to baby cows?
     Why you should ditch dairy.