“Milk Comes from a Grieving Mother” ~ leaflet by Peaceful Prairie Sanctuary
In terms of the airlines menu categories, we are a family of lacto-ovo-vegetarians: Ovo is only occasional. We love cows, relish dairy products and find the thought of eating beef rather sickening. My son is planning to go vegan and do away with the prefix lacto-ovo. He feels that cows are the most exploited animals. We milk them thereby starving, at least partially, their calves and we also slaughter them when they go dry: He lives in USA where beef is staple. Most of the calves also end up at the slaughter house. He feels that he wont be a party to this sinful treatment if he gives up dairy products.
I have spent part of my childhood in a village. I have seen cows being treated with love and care. Male calves too were taken good care of. They were castrated and they powered the agriculture at that time. A cow or a bull was fed and taken care of till the end of its life. Once it died, the body was taken away by people who specialized in removing the skin and bones for various commercial purposes.
In those days the cows were milked but not to the last drop. Some was left behind for the calf too. Such milk could be considered fit for drinking by vegetarians. But these days dairy has turned into an industry. The industry treats cows as merely milk producing automatons and there are few ethical considerations, if any. It is not a gentle industry.
Further, bulls are no longer needed as draft animals. Religious cow owners let go of the calves and these turn into stray cattle. Only a few are needed for reproduction. The rest must be getting caught and ending up in slaughter houses. The religious owner likes to think that he has not partaken of the sin as he didn't sell the calf for money. The dairies, of course, are not bothered by these considerations.
Our cities are riddled with small scale illegal dairies. The male calves born in these dairies turn into stray bulls that are a menace to the citizens. Most of these dairies have no qualms about driving away the dry cows who roam the streets feeding on the garbage at the dumps.
With industrialization of dairy, male calves getting discarded and old cows and bulls being left to fend for themselves, it seems that our love for this animal is not reflected in the treatment meted out to them.
Perhaps the only conscientious way out of this guilt is to follow in the footsteps of vegans and give up diary products altogether. This, of course, will not improve the fate of the poor animal. But then, we can have the consolation of having nothing to do with the treatment meted out to it.
If this topic interests you and you have read this post up to this point you may also like reading this article: To-be-a-feminist-is-to-be-a-vegan.
How do you feel in the matter?
In terms of the airlines menu categories, we are a family of lacto-ovo-vegetarians: Ovo is only occasional. We love cows, relish dairy products and find the thought of eating beef rather sickening. My son is planning to go vegan and do away with the prefix lacto-ovo. He feels that cows are the most exploited animals. We milk them thereby starving, at least partially, their calves and we also slaughter them when they go dry: He lives in USA where beef is staple. Most of the calves also end up at the slaughter house. He feels that he wont be a party to this sinful treatment if he gives up dairy products.
I have spent part of my childhood in a village. I have seen cows being treated with love and care. Male calves too were taken good care of. They were castrated and they powered the agriculture at that time. A cow or a bull was fed and taken care of till the end of its life. Once it died, the body was taken away by people who specialized in removing the skin and bones for various commercial purposes.
In those days the cows were milked but not to the last drop. Some was left behind for the calf too. Such milk could be considered fit for drinking by vegetarians. But these days dairy has turned into an industry. The industry treats cows as merely milk producing automatons and there are few ethical considerations, if any. It is not a gentle industry.
Further, bulls are no longer needed as draft animals. Religious cow owners let go of the calves and these turn into stray cattle. Only a few are needed for reproduction. The rest must be getting caught and ending up in slaughter houses. The religious owner likes to think that he has not partaken of the sin as he didn't sell the calf for money. The dairies, of course, are not bothered by these considerations.
Our cities are riddled with small scale illegal dairies. The male calves born in these dairies turn into stray bulls that are a menace to the citizens. Most of these dairies have no qualms about driving away the dry cows who roam the streets feeding on the garbage at the dumps.
With industrialization of dairy, male calves getting discarded and old cows and bulls being left to fend for themselves, it seems that our love for this animal is not reflected in the treatment meted out to them.
Perhaps the only conscientious way out of this guilt is to follow in the footsteps of vegans and give up diary products altogether. This, of course, will not improve the fate of the poor animal. But then, we can have the consolation of having nothing to do with the treatment meted out to it.
If this topic interests you and you have read this post up to this point you may also like reading this article: To-be-a-feminist-is-to-be-a-vegan.
How do you feel in the matter?
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