How is the dairy industry cruel to animals?

Like all mothers, cows produce milk for their babies. But because humans want to drink that milk instead, their babies are taken away. This causes them horrendous distress and can result in them crying out for days.

The life of a dairy cow is a very sad existence; it typically involves forced impregnation, having their babies taken away from them and over-milking. This process commonly lasts about six years before their bodies are so worn out that they are no longer ‘profitable’. At this point, they are usually sent to the slaughterhouse to be turned into meat.

The dairy and meat industries are intrinsically linked.

Once the calves are taken from their mothers, their fate often depends on their sex. Some male calves, incapable of producing milk, will be kept for breeding. Others will be sent to veal farms either in the UK or abroad.

Female calves will often face the same fate of their mothers – forced impregnation, having their babies taken from them, milking and then the slaughterhouse.

Calves can also be confined to calf hutches. Animal Aid recently investigated these contraptions; here is what we found.

Going vegan is the best way you can avoid funding the suffering that is the dairy industry. These days you can get dairy-free alternatives to everything – from cheese, to ice-cream, to yogurts, to whipped cream – it has never been easier!

In fact, Animal Aid is here to help you! Check out our Vegan Recipes section for delicious plant-based recipes.