Cruelty stalks dairy industry from beginning to gory end
Re: “Let’s all just eat whatever we want”, Have Your Say August 15.
Robin Grant says cruelty is not standard practice in the dairy industry. Wrong. This entire industry revolves around cruelty because it revolves around bringing baby calves into the world for the sole purpose of immediately killing them in order to steal their baby food.
It revolves around forcing cows to endure the agony of giving birth each year, only to endure the greater emotional agony of having their beloved babies immediately stolen from them.
Just as a human mother will do all in her power to prevent her precious baby from being kidnapped, so too will a mother cow. Tragically, for cows, they are no match for man and, thus, must endure this anguish year after year.
Forcing cows, by selective breeding, to produce 10 times more milk than nature intended is also cruel because the great weight of the udder often causes painful stretching or tearing of ligaments and foot problems.
And does the mother cow receive any reward for her years of “faithful service”? Not on your Nelly! When her milk supply wanes, she and her other “spent” herd mates are callously trucked to the slaughterhouse. As they are prodded towards their death, they drip milk on the killing floor.
Consume dairy if you wish, Robin, but don’t kid yourself into believing that it’s derived without cruelty.
Jenny Moxham
Australia
