The dairy industry tried to shut down Go Vegan World's ad. They said it was misleading. The Advertising Standards Agency disagreed. Independent, objective evidence confirmed that calves are removed from their mothers shortly after birth, so that we can eat the milk that was made for them.
Inherent practices in dairy:-
- artificial insemination (after forcefully taking semen)
- 9 months pregnancy (during which the cow continues to be milked as still producing milk from her last pregnancy)
- calf removed from her shortly after birth (DEFRA regs recommend no earlier than 12 hours after- this of course benefits the industry as removal earlier than this is likely to result in a very sick calf)
- calf is killed if male (immediately or within a few months)
- if female, calf is reared away from her mother and then put into the same cycle of exploitation
- cow is artificially (and forcibly) inseminated again within a few months of giving birth
- and so it goes on until at 4-5 years when her production drops even after giving birth, they kill her
Dairy is a system of utter exploitation. The ASA could not find otherwise when presented with the evidence. Some individuals within the ASA will have learned a lot from the process of considering these complaints.
It's time for dairy to accept that people are learning the truth and the truth is unacceptable. It's time for dairy to switch to growing actual food. The Vegan Society is offering to help and is working with farmers right now.
Don't buy the latest myth and trend that is "Ahimsa milk". There is always harm in dairy. There is always exploitation, using animals as though they were things. A cow's milk is for her baby calf. Cows are not here to be used by us as production units, however "humanely".
Ditch dairy.