What you never knew about dairy.

Most people are surprised to learn that dairy cows are forced to be almost continually pregnant to produce milk. They give birth to calf after calf, but these mothers never get to raise their young.

Due to the consumer demand for dairy, hundreds of thousands of calves are bred each year, only to be taken away from their mothers and killed as ‘waste products’ of the dairy industry.

Like humans, mother cows carry their unborn young for nine months. Once their calves are born, they develop a deep bond, nurturing and protecting them. So that their milk can be used for commercial dairy products, calves are usually taken away from their mothers within 24 hours of birth, causing severe distress to both mother and calf. Grieving mother cows have been known to bellow out for their young – sometimes for days.

Their male calves (known as ‘bobby calves’) are generally considered ‘worthless’ to the profit-driven dairy industry. They’ll never grow up to produce milk, so they can be legally killed by blunt force trauma, shot with a gun or captive bolt, or sent to slaughter and used for low-value ‘by-products’ of the dairy industry, such as pet food or leather products.

Female calves can share the same sad fate as male calves, or be raised to follow in their mothers’ footsteps; forced to live an unnatural life of almost constant pregnancy, until considered ‘spent’ and sent to slaughter.

While certified organic dairy production rules mean that cows cannot be dosed with antibiotics and must be given organic feed, the cruel practice of removing young bobby calves from their mothers is still legal and routine.

Just like cows, goats and sheep must also give birth in order to produce milk. Kids (baby goats) and lambs who are considered ‘wastage’ are also forcibly removed from their mothers and killed so their mothers’ milk can instead be used for commercial dairy products or cosmetic items like sheep or goat-milk soap. Some kids and lambs may be raised for several months before being sold for slaughter for human consumption.

Most of us know that calcium is essential to developing and maintaining strong and healthy bones. Fortunately, calcium is found in a wide variety of plant-based foods. Some of the best calcium sources include dried figs, sesame seeds, dark leafy greens like kale, bok choy, white beans, black-eyed peas and other pulses, seaweed, fortified soy and nut-milks, unhulled tahini, white/brown bread, enriched fruit juice, broccoli, tofu, soya mince and molasses.

In addition to nutritional food, weight-bearing exercises that increase bone density are also critical for healthy bones, and will give your body the best chance of remaining strong and healthy into your later years.

You can help break the cycle of suffering for animals used for dairy. With the ever-expanding range of calcium-rich, dairy-free products in supermarkets, it’s never been easier to make choices that are kind to dairy cows and their calves. There’s no need to ‘miss out’ on your favourite foods either! Check out our dairy-free shopping guide for animal-friendly milk, butter and cheese, to yoghurt and ice cream.