Are Goats factory farmed? Does eating Goat cheese support animal cruelty?

Question

I stopped eating meat last February and I'm making strides towards being vegan. (after reading John Robbins "Diet for a new America" I'm convinced its healthier and better for our planet)

I know that most eggs and cheese still support the veal and factory chicken farming so I dont want to consume them. I was thinking about Goats milk and cheese yesterday...cause I like the flavor... and was wondering if the majority of Goat products are just as bad to purchase as Cow, Pig and Chicken products.

Please no sarcastic anti- animal lover comments. Your just mean and wasting your time.

Answer 1

Bottom line is that by consuming animal products (like goat's milk), you're supporting animal exploitation.  Sure the goats might be "happy" (if a slave truly can be happy) but you can bet your @ss that there's no happy goat retirement home for them when they stop producing milk... people eat goat meat, too.

I strongly reccomend you read Vegan Freaks by Bob and Jenna Torres... it's a must-read for new vegans.

Best of luck!

Answer 2

Congratulations on being an aware consumer :).  I personally know a couple goat farmers here in Maine that provide very loving homes for their goats, as well as an organic farmer who treats his cows very humanely. I don't know where you live, but the answer, if possible, is to buy locally and research your food's origins.  

Answer 3

Here's the thing about mammal milk: females need to have given birth in order to produce milk and that milk is meant for their infant.  If you're consuming goat milk, you're taking food out of the mouth of an infant, regardless of how well or how poorly the mother is being treated.  That alone is enough for me.  You have to decide where you draw your personal line.

Incidentally, "Diet for a New America" was what led me to veganism from vegetarianism.  You might also want to check out his newer book, "The Food Revolution" as well as Howard Lyman's "Mad Cowboy" and "No More Bull."

Answer 4

It's great that you're moving towards veganism. "Diet for a New America" was a real eye-opener for me, too.

Goats aren't factory farmed for their milk (to my knowledge). The main problem is that mammals have to give birth in order to produce milk. Few people want to buy goats as pets, so most of the baby goats are turned into meat.

You might be interested in the story of a goat farmer turned animal sanctuary owner: http://www.satyamag.com/jun07/ezell.html

So goat's milk and cheese are probably better than cow's milk/cheese (given the veal connection), and definitely better than cramming egg-laying hens into battery cages. They're not cruelty-free, though.  

Answer 5

Many goat farms are more of the boutique type and will sell their milk and cheese on a local or regional level.  The problem I see is, when exactly does a farm become a factory farm?  There isn't a clear definition, so it's subjective where to draw the line.  Is 20 goats ok, but if you have 21 all the sudden you are a factory farmer?  See, it's arbitrary and stupid.

You can rest assured that farmers of any typer are people too.  They are as compassionate as anyone else.  It isn't fair to depict them as evil animal torturers.  They are businessmen, trying to make a living, and the best way they can make that living is to strive to have the healthiest animals possible.  The healthier the animal, the better it produces....the better his bottom line.

This has gone on to be longer than I intended, but to get to the point, I think you have more responsibility to be aware of where you obtain your food rather than choosing to go with one form of dairy or another.

Answer 6

Of course, anything from a basic grocery store has been mass produced. And if it is mass produced animal products it is cruelty.

Answer 7

One of my friends is raising goats and they seem like pretty happy critters.  He has four adults and they had a total of six kids last spring.  

All of the kids were males though, so as my friend said, they are destined for the freezer.  In the mean time, he has been getting some milk from the mother goats.  He is not "stealing milk from the mother goats."  The goats can produce plenty of milk for both him and her kids.

Compared to the way most cows are raised, goats have it pretty good.  No hormones and they range free to eat whatever they can.  Goat's milk is usually more easily digesible than cow's milk.

Answer 8

Animal exploitation isn't equatable to cruelty. We as humans are providing these animals with a good place to live, food, shelter, and nutrients. And we benefit from the end results. There are some inhumane farms out there, and I try to avoid them. But the ones that are raised up right, I support (and hey, they taste better too!)

But goats make plenty of milk, you don't have to worry about stealing milk from the kids. My dad had goats, and the nanny made milk all the time, even when she wasn't pregnant. So buy from local humane sources and you'll be alright.

I mean, really, "animal exploitation"?

I don't mean to make fun of anyone's beliefs, everyone is entitled to their own thoughts and opinions.

But what are these goats gonna do if we didn't farm them? Build cities? Surpass us as the superior race?

Thats why we keep them in bondage as "slaves". We fear them, so we control them.

Actually, if we didn't farm these goats, then there would be 2 possibilities:

They would either run across the country wild, get on our roads and get killed, destroy all of your pretty public parks and reserves (because goats are always hungry, and will eat anything and everything), and just get in the way of everyone to the point where even PETA would want to get rid of them.

OR

They would die out because honestly, goats are stupid. They are one of the oldest domesticated animals, and because of this they are very limited in brain capacity, surpassed in stupidity only by lemmings and sheep. They might simply lack the intelligence necessary to survive on their own. So would it be more humane to let all of these goats free into the wild and watch them slowly die off?

Haha, I can see it now. I'd go outside and unhook my goat, say "Okay, Buddy, you're free to go." He'd just sit there chewing his cud, stare at me for a second, then bend over and get another bite. He wouldn't go anywhere. He doesn't harbor any affection for me, there's no bond. He just has no reason to go anywhere else...

Sorry, I'll get off my soapbox. Its just a little...inspiring, to see such uneducated comments like a couple that came before me, I had to put a little more than my 2 cents in.