A recent Mercy For Animals undercover investigation of the dairy industry made huge headlines. In case you missed the buzz, here’s the bottom line: The vast majority of dairy cows live a life of abuse, neglect, and painful mutilation.
The investigation revealed:
- Cows with bloody open wounds, prolapsed uteruses, pus-filled infections, and swollen joints, apparently left to suffer without veterinary care
- “Downed” cows – those too sick or injured to even stand – left to suffer for weeks before dying or being killed
- Workers hitting, kicking, punching, and electric-shocking cows and calves
- Calves having their horns burned off without painkillers, as a worker shoved his fingers into the calves’ eyes to restrain them
- Calves having their tails cut off – a painful practice opposed by the American Veterinary Medical Association
- Newborn calves forcibly dragged away from their mothers by their legs, causing emotional distress to both mother and calf
- Cows living in overcrowded sheds on manure-coated concrete flooring
- Workers injecting cows with a controversial bovine growth hormone, used to increase milk production
Watch Nightline’s coverage of the story:
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. Countless undercover investigations have revealed that cruelty, neglect, and unnecessarily painful practices are common procedure in the dairy industry.
Compassionate consumers can choose to withdraw their support of these abuses by choosing dairy alternatives (soy, rice, or almond milk, soy yogurt, ice cream, and cheese, etc.). Each time we eat, we can choose kindness over cruelty.
The full investigation:
Mercy For Animals: Dairy’s Dark Side
Additional coverage:
ABC World News with Diane Sawyer: Got Milk? Got Ethics?
CNN/HLN: Dairy Cow Abuse Revealed
Forbes: Video inspires call for NY cow tail-docking ban
LA Times: Vegetarians, 1; dairy farmers, 0 — hidden camera reveals barnyard ick
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Breakfast: Soy yogurt
Lunch: Chipotle veggie bowl, no meat (no meat = free guac), no cheese, no sour cream
Dinner: Dim sum
