What About The Cows?

Cave painting in Lascaux, France.

Well, this is something I have been avoiding for a while. Actually looking into the dairy industry and finding out what goes on there. I think it's something most of us just put to the back of our minds. We don't really want to know about that stuff, because it makes us feel uncomfortable. Should we really ignore our feelings? If something is niggling at you, saying "this isn't right" then you should stop and listen, for your own peace of mind. Ignoring this does not make it go away.

"The dairy cow is also the hardest worked of all farmed animals. To enable a constant supply of milk cows are usually artificially inseminated two to three months after they have given birth and are required to nurture a growing calf inside while simultaneously producing milk. This routine inevitably takes its toll, and many cows are slaughtered in the UK, physically exhausted, before their fifth birthdays." http://www.ethicalconsumer.org

One of the things which makes me feel uncomfortable about dairy is the fact that most cows have their calves taken away from them, just 24 hours after being born. It is common practice for male dairy calves to be killed at birth or exported to the continent for veal production. Is this a walk in the park for the mother cow? I suspect that her biological instincts would cause the agony of mourning. Countless observers have witnessed the mournful bellows and cries of a mother cow who has lost her baby. The cow's pregnancy lasts nine months, producing a single calf. The natural lifespan of a cow is about 20 years, although I have heard of cows living over 40 years, and I am sure in the right circumstances they could live even longer. Few commercial dairy cows live beyond the age of seven.

"There is no difference between the worry of a human mother and an animal mother for their offspring. A mother’s love does not derive from the intellect but from the emotions, in animals just as in humans." Maimonides

Cows have been farmed by humans since at least the early Neolithic.  The wild ancestor of the modern cow was the aurochs, now extinct. The last recorded aurochs died in Poland in 1627. The oldest aurochs remains have been dated to about 2 million years ago, in India. They reached Europe about 270,000 years ago. The aurochs lived in herds of up to thirty members. Calves were born in spring, and the mother stayed at the calf's side until it was strong enough to join and keep up with the herd on the feeding grounds. The aurochs were swift and fast, and could be very aggressive. Their main predators were wolves and big cats. Aurochs existed into the Iron Age in Anatolia and the Near East, where it was worshiped as a sacred animal, the Lunar Bull. The ancient Egyptians sacrificed animals but not the cow, because it was sacred to goddess Hathor. In the Hindu religion, cows are considered sacred. Slaughter of cows (including oxen, bulls and calves) is forbidden by law in several states of the Indian Union. At one time, the death sentence was imposed for killing a cow in India. Today, India has the greatest population of cows in the world, reaching over 285,000,000.

The Hindu god Krishna caring for cows.

In Britain, cows suffer the repeat trauma of having their calves taken away shortly after birth and face the gruelling workload of pregnancy and lactation. Male calves are often killed off immediately after birth. Female calves travel to market as young as seven days old, enduring journeys up to eight hours long. Organic farmers are obliged to allow their cows plenty of space and access to fields. Under organic standards, the feeding of calves must be based on natural milk, preferably maternal milk, for a minimum of three months. Organic farmers provide their cows with a diet which is as natural as possible, free from GMOs. Cows on organic farms may still be impregnated every year to provide a continuous supply of milk and may endure the trauma of having their calves taken away within 24-72 hours of birth. Calves may not be taken to market under one month old but beyond that age they may endure journeys of up to eight hours to market or the abattoir. Organic farmers do not routinely give their cows antibiotics or hormones to encourage growth. As a result, average yields in organic production are around a third less than in non-organic production.

In the US and China, it is not uncommon for cows to endure industrial-scale indoor factory farming. Milked around the clock with little or no access to grazing and plagued by illness, the welfare of ‘battery cows’ is a far cry from what we see in our British fields. There have been attempts to create super-farms in the UK, but so far all plans have been rejected on ethical grounds. If you are concerned with the ethical treatment of animals, think about your dairy consumption. What you buy matters. Choosing organic is the first step toward better treatment for cows, as it ensures slightly better treatment than non-organic farming. Cutting down on your dairy consumption is another helpful step towards animal welfare. I'm not just talking about the pints of milk you pour in your coffee, tea, and breakfast cereal. I'm also talking about butter, yoghurt, cheese, icecream, and the many baked goods, chocolates, and ready meals which contain dairy. If the demand for dairy decreases, then we won't need large-scale factory farming.

If cutting out dairy seems daunting, don't worry, just take it slow. You don't have to make the switch over night. You can very gradually phase dairy out of your life, or to a comfortable minimum. There are lots of dairy-free alternatives to try. I am a big fan of "oat drink" which tastes great on cereal.  When you go shopping, have a look at the non-dairy alternatives available. How about a vegan night, once a week, when you try a vegan recipe for dinner? If you're worried about missing out on the calcium you need to keep your bones healthy, fret not. Calcium can be found in green and leafy vegetables, nuts and seeds, dried fruits, and fortified foods like tofu and white flour. A large bowl of cereal with calcium-fortified plant milk, baked beans on toast, a handful of dried figs, an orange, a fortified soya dessert and a teaspoon of tahini will together give you an adult's daily recommended amount of calcium. What about protein, I hear you cry. One cup of soy or almond milk can pack about 7-9 grams of protein. A couple of tablespoons of peanut butter, almond or cashew butter, will give you 8 grams of protein. Quinoa delivers about 9 grams of protein per cup. Two slices of vegan sprouted-grain bread gives you about 10 grams of protein. With one cup of pinto, kidney or black beans, you’ll get about 13-15 grams of protein. And one cup of cooked lentils delivers a whopping 18 grams of protein! You don't actually need to consume dairy or meat in order to have a healthy diet. Don't be conned into thinking that you're too small to make a difference in the world. What you do matters. You are not too small, you are part of something big. If we unite together, we can change the world.