The Ugly Side of Milk
It’s hard to imagine that when we pour ourselves a glass of milk, in a lot of cases, it has come to us via tremendous suffering endured by dairy cows who spend a huge chunk of their lives traumatized, terrified and in a great deal of pain.
Instead, we think of dairy cows as animals who gladly give their milk for us humans to enjoy. We might picture the cows being happily led to their clean milking sheds and being hooked up to machines that gently milk them without causing any discomfort or pain whatsoever. Certainly, dairy cows can’t be mistreated by their owners in the same way that other animals being led to the slaughterhouse are mistreated… can they?
The short video below offers a startling insight into the horrific lives of dairy cows. As if it wasn’t enough that each poor cow is continually kept pregnant in order to produce 400 times her natural amount of milk per year solely for our consumption, she also endures horrendous abuse. For example, did you know that cows have part of their tail cut off, so that it doesn’t interfere with the milking machine? As the video shows, this can often be done cruelly and without any pain killers for the cow. Can you imagine suffering the amount of pain this procedure must cause the poor cows?
The milk produced by each cow over the course of a year can reach as high as 10,000 liters. Many dairy cows never get to see the light of day and have to walk around in dark and dirty manure-filled sheds. They are simply treated as nothing more than milk-producing machines. How heart-breaking.
We have been conditioned into believing that milk is good for us, but actually, studies have suggested that the milk produced by cows is fit only for the baby calves. Drinking milk, we believe, helps to develop and maintain healthy bones. However, on the contrary, some scientists have concluded that drinking milk actually leads to bone problems later in life.
In any case, humans are the only species to consume milk beyond infancy, when there really is no need for us to do so. Calcium sources are readily found in fruits, nuts, beans and vegetables (especially raw vegetables) and every single nutrient that we require can be found in alternative, non-dairy foods. If we look closely at our eating habits, we can clearly see that our choices – which greatly affect the well-being of billions of animals – are simply made to satisfy our own taste buds and stomachs.
Sadly, we have become experts in providing excuses, while dedicating the merits of our daily practices to ALL sentient beings. This doesn’t make any sense at all. We can produce wonderful excuses and say we can’t change anything and that really, we’re doing our best, but these are all excuses. And all the while that we are providing others with our expert excuses, countless animals continue to suffer – it’s as simple as that.
Yes, it can be hard to give up dairy foods. If you have grown used to eating delicious buttered toast for breakfast or dining on ice-cream for dessert, it can feel almost painful to give these things up. However, if you watch the video and imagine that you are one of the poor terrified cows that are shown in the footage, you have to ask yourself: who endures the most painful experience – you or the poor cow that has to have her tail twisted and chopped off?
Tsem Rinpoche
Warning: This video contains graphic images that some viewers may find disturbing
http://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/animalCruelty-milk.flv
Or view the video on the server at:
http://video.tsemtulku.com/videos/animalCruelty-milk.flv
Source: http://abcnews.go.com/video/playerIndex?id=9670185
I have given up dairy products, in fact anything that comes from animals like honey, although I love desserts such as cakes, ice-creams, waffles and etc. It is just an addiction I have to overcome, just the same as how I quite smoking. It is not easy, but it is possible with determination. I might seemed to be an individual whom by being a vegan will make no difference in reducing the pain of these animals, but when all individuals decided to do the same, we can definitely create history in the 21th century! Please cut dairy out of your diet, whether for your own health or for the loving-kindness you have for animals!
I’ve never been so happy to be lactose intolerant! Sadly, that’s the only reason I don’t buy dairy. My husband is from Japan where milk really isn’t a part of the diet and my daughter can’t stand the taste of it. I’ve never given it much thought, out of sight, out of mind I suppose. I will share this on FB. Thanks again Rinpoche.
From what i’ve seen in 30 years visiting farms in the uk, cows are kept in much better conditions here, none are kept in all year round, though they are kept in barns and yards in the winter when there is little grass for them to eat and the ground is too soft.
I have never seen or heard tails cut short either, though the de horning process is not pleasant at all… look it up.
If you are going to still consume milk and cheese etc, then at least pay a decent price for it, that way farmers can afford to treat the animals better.
Dear Rinpoche,
This article and video is heart-wrenching and amazing for the self-deception that people willingly uphold simply for profit and for food. I am not a fan of milk but I do enjoy creamy ice-creams from time to time. It is time I cut it out in favour of other types of similar desserts.
After all, there are other sources of milks that originate from plants, I am sure. I think soya, oats and almond are alternative sources of milk. They may not taste the same but it is way better than the guilt of having our glass of milk knowing it was extracted cruelly from a suffering dairy cow. Thank you rinpoche for posting this up.
Although I have replaced milk with soybean milk in my daily diet, I still consume cofee or nescafe with milk when working. Few days ago I’ve mixed soybean milk with nescafe and it tasted funny. But my conscious was clear that I did not benefit myself at the sufferings of another being.
thanks so much for this thought provoking post ~
and the many other ones
i’ve just given up milk, started drinking soya
instead.
The video shows what’s happening in the U.S. farm houses. One shouldn’t generalize that the cows and chickens are being mistreated to increase milk and egg production in the farm houses that belong to other countries. That is just plain unfair.
I think it is not possible to consume milk without causing pain to animals doesn’t matter in wich country they are kept or how they are looked after. it’s because every time when the calf is taken away from mother – it causes stress for both of them, and where to put all the calfs, that must be born in order to produce milk??? They (along with their mothers later on) usually all go to slaughterhouse… Meat and milk industry is so much bounded :/ and funatelly it is no problem to stop consuming milk, there are so many tasty vegan alternatives to everything these days
even milk, cheese, cream, ice-cream…
Quero divulgar este blog. Muito boa a história do campeão vegetariano-vegano alemão.