Speciesism

Over 260 million cows will not be celebrating Mother's Day this year

Credit: Amber Kipp© Photabulous!

Cows are highly sensitive, sentient beings who are affectionate with strong maternal bonds.

Yet mother cows in the dairy industry, almost never get to cherish, nurture or see their babies grow up. 97% of newborn dairy calves are forcibly removed from their mothers within the first 24 hours, with the rest removed in a matter of days. Some calves are taken within the first hour of birth.



Female calves are destined to the same enslaved life as their mother, treated as not much more than a milk machine. The male calves, unable to produce milk, are typically sold and transported to veal farms, where they are confined to stalls and slaughtered at just a few months old. The grief-stricken mother cows often bellow for days, calling in vain for their return.



Like humans, cows only produce milk for their newborns after having given birth, and dairy cows must give birth to one calf per year in order to continue producing milk. Typically, cows in the dairy industry are forcibly impregnated within three months of giving birth.

These 'high-production' cows produce milk on average for less than three years, after which they are slaughtered and their meat.



But the tides are changing. We are witnessing the decline of dairy milk and products. Food manufacturers and even dairy companies throughout the world are developing nut, grain and other plant-based dairy products. The global milk alternatives market represents a $2 billion sector, which is set to reach a staggering $16 billion by 2018.



This Mother's Day, the most powerful thing you can do, if not already vegan, is to show compassion for dairy cows and make the switch to plant-based milk, yogurt, cheese and ice cream products now readily available in most countries.