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There's blood in your milk. The ethics of consumption
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 7:08 am
by Ben
I'm wondering how many people know about the disturbing fact that in many countries, the vast majority of calves born to diary cows are slaughtered at less than five days of age. Knowing this, and that demand for milk perpetuates the intense suffering of diary cattle, is it still ethical to consume diary products?
Whatever your views are regarding the subject, I urge you to watch this short video.
kind regards,
Ben
Re: There's blood in your milk. The ethics of consumption
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 8:05 am
by cooran
Hello Ben,
Viewing from my iPad, all I can see are your typed post and just a blank page, no link.
With metta,
Chris
Re: There's blood in your milk. The ethics of consumption
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 8:12 am
by cooran
Having lived on acreage and owned a house cow, i came to realise that there are also ethical issues concerning the fact that the cow needs to have multiple calves through the years to keep producing their food - milk. Most male calves are sent to the abattoirs, and female calves are taken away when in puberty, impregnated, and live the same life as their mother.
With metta,
Chris
Re: There's blood in your milk. The ethics of consumption
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 8:32 am
by Spiny Norman
I only drink soy milk these days.
Re: There's blood in your milk. The ethics of consumption
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 9:24 am
by Ben
cooran wrote:Hello Ben,
Viewing from my iPad, all I can see are your typed post and just a blank page, no link.
With metta,
Chris
http://vimeo.com/53988865
Re: There's blood in your milk. The ethics of consumption
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 9:38 am
by Jhana4
Ben wrote:I'm wondering how many people know about the disturbing fact that in many countries, the vast majority of calves born to diary cows are slaughtered at less than five days of age.
+1
I read that cows have a lifespan of about 30 years about cows that live in factory farms to produce milk only live about 5 years. They get burned out from the conditions and stress they live in and start producing much less milk. It isn't economically feasible to keep them alive after that so they get sent to slaughter.
Re: There's blood in your milk. The ethics of consumption
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 9:53 am
by cooran
Re: There's blood in your milk. The ethics of consumption
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 11:01 am
by appicchato
Spiny Norman wrote:I only drink soy milk these days.
Dit-to...
Re: There's blood in your milk. The ethics of consumption
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 11:03 am
by seeker242
Ben wrote: Knowing this, and that demand for milk perpetuates the intense suffering of diary cattle, is it still ethical to consume diary products?
No.
Re: There's blood in your milk. The ethics of consumption
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 11:21 am
by daverupa
Soy milk can be healthy or unhealthy depending on a number of factors, so in your own individual cases please become an educated consumer in order to ensure you are getting fresh whole bean product, and not processed swill. Sometimes there is even added sugar.
I usually drink rice milk. I can't find a better alternative at present; finding a good variety of rice milk seems easier than finding good soy in my case, at any rate.
Re: There's blood in your milk. The ethics of consumption
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 11:37 am
by barcsimalsi
Spiny Norman wrote:I only drink soy milk these days.
Cakes, chocolate bar, candy bars and various beverages have milk as part of their ingredients too.
How can we totally abstain from taking them?
Re: There's blood in your milk. The ethics of consumption
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 11:50 am
by daverupa
barcsimalsi wrote:Spiny Norman wrote:I only drink soy milk these days.
Cakes, chocolate bar, candy bars and various beverages have milk as part of their ingredients too.
How can we totally abstain from taking them?
By abstention. Pretend you're lactose intolerant, etc.
Re: There's blood in your milk. The ethics of consumption
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 12:08 pm
by mirco
Dear Ben
Ben wrote:I'm wondering how many people know about the disturbing fact that in many countries, the vast majority of calves born to diary cows are slaughtered at less than five days of age. Knowing this, and that demand for milk perpetuates the intense suffering of diary cattle, is it still ethical to consume diary products?
thanks for sharing that video. It always helps to watch videos like this to remind myself what to choose in daily life.
P.S.: Btw, humans 'are' the only mammals, whose offsprings use milk after growing up.
One my consider a life without milk.
Re: There's blood in your milk. The ethics of consumption
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 12:44 pm
by Sam Vara
I'm wondering how many people know about the disturbing fact that in many countries, the vast majority of calves born to diary cows are slaughtered at less than five days of age
Yes, after working for a while as a dairy herdsman, I have been vegan ever since. And that was before most people had even heard the term! It can certainly be a harrowing experience to sparate a mother cow and newborn calf and take the calf to a different part of the farm - where it will be fattened up on potato starch until ready for slaughter.
You might be interested to know that there is, as well as blood, often quite a lot of mastitis pus in your milk, too...
Re: There's blood in your milk. The ethics of consumption
Posted: Mon Sep 09, 2013 12:51 pm
by sphairos
I think, yes, it is ethical. Actually, I like meat and don't see any problem here. Calf meat is so delicious. The irony is I don't like milk and diary products
If you are worried about this practice I may suggest that you might think about it as only a temporary measure: very soon, perhaps in a few coming decades, science will allow us to produce an abundance of consumable proteins from inorganic substances and genetically modified mushrooms and microorganisms.