Author:
Cassie King
Published on
January 2, 2018

What the Dairy Industry Doesn't Want You to Know



Everybody knows that animals have to die to produce "meat," but what about dairy?

Cows don't produce milk unless they are pregnant or nursing so cows on dairy farms are repeatedly forcibly impregnated and when their babies are born, they get taken away from their mothers. After a few years, when mother cows' bodies begin to break down from birthing so many babies and they no longer produce enough milk to be profitable, they are slaughtered for cheap meat. So the dairy industry actually is the meat industry. Cows used for dairy are not only killed, but are violated and exploited for their entire lives until they are finally killed.

What happens to the babies?

After birth, usually on the very same day, calves are separated from their mothers and placed into small, wooden hutches with minimal protection from the elements. After three months, these babies will be slaughtered for veal. If female calves are not killed for veal, they will be forced to face the same awful fate as their mothers. DxE investigated Zonneveld Dairy, a supplier to LandO'Lakes, and found that the company's claims of animal welfare were completely false. Instead of the "soft bedding" LandO'Lakes says all of its cows have, the calves lived on wooden slats and piled up manure. One calf who was underweight, covered in diarrhea, and being eaten alive by maggots was rescued by the investigators and now lives safe at a sanctuary.

What about humane or organic dairy farms?

Sure, some dairy farms give the cows more room to roam, but they are still continually impregnating them, taking their babies away, and ultimately, selling the "used" cows to become meat. These are the realities of producing dairy, and even if the cows did stay with their babies and lived out their natural lives, it would still be wrong to exploit them for their bodies. Their milk should never be taken for humans when it is meant for baby cows. Cows exist for their own reasons, not to serve humans. The dairy industry hides violence and grief behind labels like "humane" and "organic" but you can help us defend the rights of cows and all animals!

Sign this petition asking LandO'Lakes to stop torturing baby cows!

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