Since 1939, the month of June has been pushed by the industry as National Dairy Month, but have you ever wondered why humans think it’s perfectly normal to consume the breast milk of another species, made to turn baby bovines into 1,200-pound cows? Have you ever wondered why dairy cows produce milk, or where they go when they stop producing enough milk for humans? Have you ever wondered why you haven’t wondered? The answer lies in marketing and profits.

The dairy industry has tried to convince us for more than a century that all is well and good in the fairy tale world of “happy cows” and dairy farms. For the animals, this couldn't be further from the truth. Dairy cows don’t just magically produce milk for us, they produce milk because they are mothers. To make a profit, there’s no waiting around for bulls and cows to choose their mates, so both sexes of bovines are sexually violated to forcibly impregnate the females to produce milk. All the male calves are killed, or raised for “veal” or “beef” because they are deemed “useless” to the dairy industry. Then, the milk that was made for their calves is taken from them to be sold to consumers. Once the mothers stop producing enough milk to be profitable, they are slaughtered too at a fraction of their normal lifespan.

The dairy industry is a desecration of motherhood and the female reproductive system. It is just as brutal as the meat industry, if not more so, as the suffering of a mother dairy cow is more prolonged to get as much milk out of her as possible. It goes against any notion of wholesome or “humane” and veers into the merciless and depraved.

For an eye-opening five-minute overview, watch:

Why is it that most people have never heard of any of this? The dairy industry doesn’t want you to know, so you’ll keep buying its products. It also wants you to think that you need milk from a cow to be healthy. On the contrary, dairy is detrimental to human health and linked to an increased risk of cancer and other diseases by Oxford University, the T. Colin Campbell Center for Nutrition Studies, Loma Linda University, and the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, among others. 

Calcium, protein, and all other essential nutrients can be found in plant foods; without the hormones, cholesterol, and saturated fat of dairy and all animal products. It’s also estimated that around 68% of the world’s population is lactose intolerant.

In addition, according to a report by the Institute for Agriculture and Trade Policy (IATP), “The world's biggest dairy and meat companies could surpass Exxon, Shell, and BP as the world's biggest climate polluters within the next few decades.” A study published in the journal Science concludes, “Animal farming takes up 80% of agricultural land while producing only 18% of food calories and 37% of protein.

The question we must ask ourselves - even if dairy was healthy for us, even if the dairy industry posed no threat to the environment, how could that justify inflicting such exploitation, violence, and killing onto our fellow Earthlings? All farmed animals are no different from dogs and cats in all the ways that matter. As observed by neuroscientists in the journal Animal Behavior and Cognition, they experience a wide range of emotions, have unique personalities, and, most importantly, feel pain and fear, just like all animals including humans.

Cows carry their babies for nine months, then try in vain to protect and nurture them. The dairy industry rips away that sacred instinct and bond, causing extreme anguish to both mother and baby. This disdainful cruelty is just a symptom of the underlying malady, of using animals as commodities and resources for us. When it’s not necessary and we can survive and thrive without dairy or any animal products, then it comes down to a choice that each of us must reckon with - a choice that is no longer just personal when there are victims involved.

How You Can Help 

Let’s honor these mothers and their babies, and the rights of all sentient beings to not be exploited. Vote with your dollars for a more just, compassionate world: go vegan today. Get our Free Vegan Starter Guide now!

You can also urge the USDA to remove dairy from the Dietary Guidelines and sign and share our alert opposing provisions in the Farm Bill that aim to expand the marketing and funding of dairy to children and school meal programs. 

Learn more about how we help farmed animals and please consider making a donation to support our work on this issue. Thank you for your compassion.