Is milk vegetarian?

Throughout our lives, we’re told that milk is vegetarian, implying it doesn’t harm animals. But is that actually true? Do we overlook the cruelty and death involved in milk production?

Let us reveal the realities of the Indian dairy industry so you can decide for yourself, ‘Is milk vegetarian?’

Forced impregnation

In a country where cows are supposed to be sacred and safe, they’re among the most abused animals in India. In order to meet the human demand for dairy, cows and buffaloes are forced into a dreadful cycle of artificial insemination, childbirth, and lactation until their bodies can’t produce any more milk.

Cows—like all other mammals—produce milk only when they’re nurturing their young. Therefore, to meet the human demand for milk, cows and buffaloes are forcefully inseminated every year.

Artificial insemination (AI) involves collecting sperm from males, processing and storing it, and artificially introducing it into the female reproductive tract for the purpose of conception. The procedure is performed by untrained handlers who often shove their bare, soapy hands into animals’ uteri. This causes cows immense pain. AI guns are almost never sterilised, exposing cows to potential infections and diseases.

Oxytocin and milk machines

To increase their milk production, cows are given large doses of Oxytocin, a banned Schedule H drug, which causes severe labour pains. A survey conducted in Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh found that 82% of cattle breeders were using Oxytocin.

It is also becoming a common practice to use milk machines. These machines are rarely sterilised, and the unhygienic conditions in the dairies lead to mastitis, a painful inflammation of the udder. Cows and buffaloes are given antibiotics and painkillers to counter this, which end up in the milk and can cause antibiotic resistance in humans.

Confinement

Most cows and buffalo are confined to small areas, and in urban dairy farms, they are kept in small rooms that have no sunlight or ventilation. A recent investigative report found that keeping the animals tethered in these makeshift shelters at all times is a common practice at 79% of dairies.

The tethers are very short, allowing as many animals as possible to be accommodated in the small shelters, which causes extreme physical discomfort. Sixty percent of dairies also restrain the animals by tying up their hind legs. They’re often tethered on hard floors, causing bruises and injuries as they lie in their own faeces for days.

Male calves—the forgotten victims

Male calves are useless to the milk industry since they can’t produce milk. They’re usually sold to butchers or skinned for their leather. Often, they’re simply abandoned at roadsides and left to die.

An undercover investigator writes, “Male calves are tied up with ropes so short that they cannot lift their heads; in a desperate attempt to reach their mothers, the calves often strangulate themselves to death. Some have their feet tied so they cannot try to go over to their mothers for milk, and their mouths are tied shut with ropes so they cannot cry out when they are hungry. These babies are then left to die a slow, agonising death in a corner.”

What about small farms and villages?

While small household farms may offer more freedom than intensive dairy farms, investigators have found that the conditions are not much better. A shocking undercover investigation of small-scale dairies found male calves being killed and their heads stuffed with straw to create a khalbachha—a dummy calf—which is placed near the mother to ensure that her milk production doesn’t decline due to the anxiety of not seeing her babies.

Beef and milk—two sides of the same coin

The natural lifespan of these animals is 25 years, but they’re rarely allowed to live beyond 10 years. After a life of confinement and abuse, a horrifying journey to the slaughterhouse awaits these “spent” cows and buffalo. Since cow slaughter is illegal in some states, these animals are transported by trucks or made to walk for days on end to other states without food, water, or rest.

Ingrid Newkirk, President of PETA, followed one of the caravans of cattle stumbling towards Kerala. “It’s a hideous journey,” she says, “To keep them moving, drivers beat the animal across their hip bones, where there is no fat to cushion the blows. The cows are not allowed to rest or drink. Many cows sink to their knees. Drivers beat them and twist their battered tails to force them to rise. If that doesn’t work, they torment the cows into moving by rubbing hot chilli peppers and tobacco into their eyes.”

At the slaughterhouse, workers often hack at the cow’s throat with dull blades or hit them with hammers in full view of other animals.

Is milk truly vegetarian?

Despite being a predominantly vegetarian country, India is the world’s leading supplier of beef—as a direct result of milk production. It raises the question, ‘Is milk truly vegetarian?’

Join our free 10 Weeks to Vegan program today to learn about the delicious and satisfying alternatives to milk. You can stop supporting the suffering of cows and buffalo in India.

Watch the ‘Ma Ka Doodh’ documentary to see the reality of the Indian dairy industry!

References:

1. Inside the Indian Dairy Industry: A Report on the Abuse of Cows and Buffaloes Exploited for Milk, by PETA India
2. Cattle-ogue: Unveiling the Truth of the Indian Dairy Industry, by FIAPO
3. Buffalo calf healthcare in commercial dairy farms: a field study in Uttar Pradesh (India) by R Tiwari, MC Sharma, and BP Singh
4. How India’s sacred cows are beaten, abused, and poisoned to make leather for high street shops, by Peter Popham for Independent
5. The Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, 1960