cruelty-free milk

[patriceinparis]

I've read colorful's 08-24-04 thread "Is there a thing as cruelty free dairy" and still find it hard to understand why there is still no alternative to the dairy industry. I am sure there is a market out there for cruelty free dairy products that would guarantee that cows are treated decently and cared for in their old age.
I am sure many of us would be willing to pay double for a quart of milk that has been produced by a cow who is certain to live a long and peaceful life on the farm and die a natural death.

[PlaybackGuru]

You are still taking something that is not yours to be taken! No such thing as cruelty free milk, how does the cow continue to lactate? What happens to the offspring?

[Tom]

I am sure many of us would be willing to pay double for a quart of milk that has been produced by a cow who is certain to live a long and peaceful life on the farm and die a natural death. Perhaps they would. After all, vegan substitutes for meat and dairy often cost more than actual meat or milk foods. My two favorite “milk” powders- “Vegelicious” and “Harvest Direct” (formerly “Solait”)- cost more than real powdered milk.

Remember not only the cows, but also the males, would need a lifetime of care. Perhaps they could “earn their keep” if they were kept as draft animals. The only dairy operations I know of which might qualify are those run by Hare Krishna devotees. But I don’t think there is an ashram in my area. You might want to investigate how dairy foods are produced in India.

Finally, I’m still not sure how long a cow can produce milk from one pregnancy. Even if she can be milked for a year or two after weaning her calf, I can imagine a massive cow overpopulation problem resulting from a truly humane dairy industry. If she could be milked for several years after bearing just one calf (although at a very low yield of milk), then maybe not. As I see it, even if you set aside the matter of whether or not it’s acceptable to use an animal in this way (as PlaybackGuru brought up), it appears to be a difficult proposition to pull off.

[cstadt]

From one pregnancy, a cow can be milked for months longer than usual because the dairy farmers give them hormones that prolong the duration.

I read that in Portrait of a Burger as a Young Calf


edit: I still think it's weird to drink milk. I haven't in years and I've only been veg for a little over a year. We're the only species that willingly drinks another species' milk... definite heebee-geebee's

[Tom]

I read "Portrait of a Burger" too. I don't remember reading anything about hormones there, but I read it a few years ago and I may well have forgotten. Anyway, hormones are used in dairy production, even if they weren't at the farms the author wrote about.

[*AHIMSA*]

Until we can find a cow raised in the idyllic conditions you've outlined, and one that also enjoys having her udders sucked at for hours a day, there will be no cruelty-free milk. Put yourself in that position. Would that be fun for you, to have your breasts and nipples manipulated regularly, on someone else's schedule, day in, day out? Even the most ardent fan of nipple play would find that too much to bear, I am sure. For those of you who have nursed, can you imagine what that would be like? :cry:

[cstadt]

I read "Portrait of a Burger" too. I don't remember reading anything about hormones there, but I read it a few years ago and I may well have forgotten. Anyway, hormones are used in dairy production, even if they weren't at the farms the author wrote about.

Yeah, he said he was in a moderate farm-- not the huge places.
Either way, I think the shots given to the cows while they were being milked were for that purpose... prolonging milk production.

Here, I found it:
page 87
BST is injected every two weeks
It is a growth hormone naturally occurring in cows
It's given to produce more gallons of milk per day
and to lengthen a cow's lactation
Usually a cow begins to slack in milk production 10 months after giving birth
In one instance, a cow is still being milked THREE YEARS after it's calf was born (it was on BST)

[Shamandura]

Cruelty free milk would have to be milk given within the same species....and milk is for babies!:baby:

[RoboMonkey]

What's wrong with rice/soy milk?

[Eugene]

I am a vegan, but I think it is worth noting the following information.

Cows have been genetically altered through selective breeding to produce as much milk as possible. In fact, they now produce far more milk than the calf can possibly drink. Hence, after the calf has finished suckling, the mother will still have milk which needs to be removed, and this can only be done by humans. If humans do not milk her, then the excess milk which is not removed will result in severe pain, and possibly death.

So even on a vegan animal sanctuary, the cow will have to be milked by humans if she has given birth to a calf. And this milk will have to be disposed of in some way.


-Eugene
__________________
http://ar.vegnews.org
(My animal rights FAQ)

[Irizary]

I've read colorful's 08-24-04 thread "Is there a thing as cruelty free dairy"...

I don't remember that particular thread off-hand, but I know that colorful searched for a long time for "cruelty free" commercial dairy, and argued for it...and then came to the realization that it didn't exist. Her last time here, she was a committed vegan, having done a lot of research and watching Meet Your Meat, Earthlings, and Peaceable Kingdom, and no longer wanting any part of the use of and cruelty towards animals :) :

http://www.veggieboards.com/boards/showpost.php?p=1546660&postcount=4

[*AHIMSA*]

Her last time here, she was a committed vegan, having done a lot of research and watching Meet Your Meat, Earthlings, and Peaceable Kingdom, and no longer wanting any part of the use of and cruelty towards animals

Really? I seem to remember that she was not vegan anymore. I could be wrong though.

[Irizary]

Really? I seem to remember that she was not vegan anymore. I could be wrong though.

I don't think so. I don't think her posts indicated that, unless I missed something.

[Tom]

Yeah, he said he was in a moderate farm-- not the huge places.
Either way, I think the shots given to the cows while they were being milked were for that purpose... prolonging milk production.

Here, I found it:
page 87
BST is injected every two weeks
It is a growth hormone naturally occurring in cows
It's given to produce more gallons of milk per day
and to lengthen a cow's lactation
Usually a cow begins to slack in milk production 10 months after giving birth
In one instance, a cow is still being milked THREE YEARS after it's calf was born (it was on BST)

Thanks! I stopped off at the library and skimmed thru the book again- that was the exact page where BST was discussed.

[Music Girl]

I have seen no evidence whatsoever that there is such a thing as cruelty-free dairy.

Even organic, grass fed dairy cows' calves are sold to produce organic, grass fed veal. That fact alone is enough to make me unable to consider dairy products as food.