Cows have to milked
They'll explode if we don't milk them
There's a closer look at milk here, but the claim that cows have to be milked because they produce so much of it (and so we're doing them a favour by milking them) is a topic worth looking at on its own. Some make this claim as proof that dairy cows are more than happy to give their milk to us and that by taking it we're actually helping them out. In some respects this is partially true, but not for the reasons we'd like to think.
Dairy cows have been genetically manipulated over time to produce unnaturally large amounts of milk and so their udders will become painfully large and bloated. Milking sessions provide temporary relief from this ongoing and painful condition and so whilst they may indeed want to be milked, it's only to relieve the pain and discomfort we've deliberately bred into them (and continue to do so).
If we look at this situation impartially and in the interest of causing the least harm possible, the most ethical decision would be to stop breeding these genetically-manipulated animals into existence in the first place. Instead though, we artificially breed them in their billions, confine them, milk them as much as is physically possible, then slit their throats at a fraction of their natural lifespan when their tired bodies can take no more. Despite the inherent cruelty and selfishness in this awful sequence of events, people will claim with a straight face that we're somehow doing these animals a favour.
Dairy cows have been genetically manipulated over time to produce unnaturally large amounts of milk and so their udders will become painfully large and bloated. Milking sessions provide temporary relief from this ongoing and painful condition and so whilst they may indeed want to be milked, it's only to relieve the pain and discomfort we've deliberately bred into them (and continue to do so).
If we look at this situation impartially and in the interest of causing the least harm possible, the most ethical decision would be to stop breeding these genetically-manipulated animals into existence in the first place. Instead though, we artificially breed them in their billions, confine them, milk them as much as is physically possible, then slit their throats at a fraction of their natural lifespan when their tired bodies can take no more. Despite the inherent cruelty and selfishness in this awful sequence of events, people will claim with a straight face that we're somehow doing these animals a favour.
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The true reality of this issue though comes not when we look at how cows produce milk, but rather why they're even producing it in the first place.
Dairy cows only 'need to be milked' at all because they are forcibly and repeatedly impregnated by us (just like human females, a cows' body will only produce milk for a baby). The baby cows are removed at birth so we can take their milk instead and are either killed for veal (if they are male) or raised to suffer the same fate as their mothers (if they are female). If we genuinely don't want these cows to suffer painful or swollen udders then simply not forcibly impregnating them over and over again would be the simple and obvious solution.
As with many selectively bred animals dairy cows also suffer a number of health problems including massive calcium loss, lameness, and mastitis - an incredibly painful infection of the udder which is suffered by up to a third of all dairy cows and that also leads to blood and pus cells being present in the milk.
Dairy cows only 'need to be milked' at all because they are forcibly and repeatedly impregnated by us (just like human females, a cows' body will only produce milk for a baby). The baby cows are removed at birth so we can take their milk instead and are either killed for veal (if they are male) or raised to suffer the same fate as their mothers (if they are female). If we genuinely don't want these cows to suffer painful or swollen udders then simply not forcibly impregnating them over and over again would be the simple and obvious solution.
As with many selectively bred animals dairy cows also suffer a number of health problems including massive calcium loss, lameness, and mastitis - an incredibly painful infection of the udder which is suffered by up to a third of all dairy cows and that also leads to blood and pus cells being present in the milk.
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It's not hard to see that if we had any genuine concern or honest desire to alleviate the pain of a cows' swollen udders, we could stop it immediately by not forcibly and repeatedly impregnating them. This would put an end to their continued suffering and also quickly solve the 'exploding udders' issue that seems to concern many
non-vegans - and the only small changes we'd have to make would be to simply buy the non-dairy versions of
all our old favourites instead.
non-vegans - and the only small changes we'd have to make would be to simply buy the non-dairy versions of
all our old favourites instead.
"Animal factories are one more sign of the extent to which our
technological capacities have advanced faster than our ethics."
Peter Singer
technological capacities have advanced faster than our ethics."
Peter Singer