Does milk consumption support the veal industry?

Question

I am confused and would like to know what really goes on. :/ Links would be appreciated but are not essential. I'm a vegetarian and would not like to think I am supporting cruelty. Thanks for helping.

Answer 1

The term "Milk Fed Veal"  means that calves are fed only milk during the duration of their life.

No sunlight and no free roaming.

They are put in a stall exactly the size of the animal which gives them no room to walk or move.

The reason is to give the meat it's white colour( this is a sign of quality veal )"Plume".

Basically, a calf that is raised for veal is anaemic.

Most of the milk they are given is powered milk ( to keep the cost down, but of course, veal has gone through the roof due to the rise in dairy).

I wouldn't say that the dairy companies care either way.

They have to sell their products to whoever wants them.( Free trade law).

It also has nothing to do with the milk we consume because many calves are not bred for veal but for beef.

So basically the milk is "bought" to feed calves( in powder form). So by drinking milk your not supporting cruelty.

It's people that eat veal that are supporting cruelty.

Answer 2

Milk is an animal product.  All milk, organic or not, is derived from animals (usually cows & goats) that are raised in captivity.  In some cases, animals raised for milk are held in conditions that are less than desirable.  

You should decide how you feel about raising animals for food, as there is really no difference between the living conditions of an animal raised for milk and an animal raised for meat.

Answer 3

I think that drinking milk is both ethical and healthy so I will continue to drink it whether it supports the veal industry or not.

Answer 4

The only way a cow gives milk is when they have 1 calf.  they will then give milk for their entire life.  ANY dairy farm I've been at never sold veal.  They grow the calf into a cow or beef cattle.  I will not eat veal, by the way.  Drinking milk does NOT support veal industry.  Don't ask the question if you fear the true answer.  F peta.

Answer 5

if milked cows keep on producing milk even if the calf is "grown up"! so, go for organic milk, sth like riverford rather than supermarkets own brands and you can be pretty sure that you're at least supporting a farmer who cares about his animals!

Answer 6

It can do, which is why I have a cow at home. The calf was sold to one of my vegetarian friend (I was very lucky that it was a female calf, otherwise I would have just had to keep it in one of my other fields).

Answer 7

Well, for a start, I'm AMAZED at the number of what I can only call "wrong" - or possibly malicious - thumbing to the answers so far.

In Great Britain, veal calves are NOT kept in crates nor in darkness - in fact on a VERY recent farming programmes shown on TV here it was a surprise to see just HOW well they were looked after, so I can only assume that a great many  responders are in America where conditions are very different to the much more humane way of animal husbandry is practised here in the U.K..

Answer 8

Hi Britney.  I will be happy to help you.  I was a Vegetarian for two and a half years and this month I become a Vegan after going on the the meat.com website and seeing how cruelly animals are treated so that we can have meat, milk, and eggs.  The video actually left me hysterical and crying.  Chickens and cows are treated so cruelly so that we can have milk and eggs.  Organic milk is still milk.  Like, duh people!  I just decided that I wanted no part of it any more.  There is plenty of food to eat without eating milk, dairy, and eggs.  I hate ignorant people who aren't vegetarians who think that us vegetarians are weird.  People tend to make fun of anything that they don't understand.  I drink rice milk because I am allergic to soy.  Rice milk is so delicious.  It is sweet and it has calcium, vitamin D, and B-12.  It isn't an acquired taste.  I loved it instantly.  I became a vegetarian after moving in to my new house where there is a cow pasture over my back fence.  I just couldn't look at this beautiful animals outside my kitchen window and then go cook up a hamburger.  I hope that I was helpful.

Answer 9

Basically yes the dairy industry does involve a lot of cruelty.

  As with all mammals cows only produce milk after giving birth.Under natural conditions (such as with the cows now extinct wild ancestor the Auroch) the calf would suckle from her for almost a year,though after a little while it would graze as well as suckle.The spring after it's birth it's mothers milk would dry up and she would mate again that summer.Her next calf would be born the following spring.The first calf would stay close to it's mother at all times until it was nearly 2 years old and it's younger sibling was nearly ready to be born.The cow would only give birth 2 years in a row if her first calf died or was killed by a predator in it's first few months-before that years mating season.

This however doesn't suit farmers as it means that the cow only produces milk every other year.So instead they take the calf away within a day or 2 of birth (or a couple of months after birth with organic milk) which causes huge stress to both mother and calf.Some of the female calves are raised to join the dairy herd but the rest and virtually all the male calves are not needed by the dairy farmer so they either are killed or now shipping them to Europe is allowed again they are shipped to France to become veal.(I'm assuming your in the UK)

The cow is got pregnant again (either naturally or more often by insemination)so that she will produce another calf next year and produce milk virtually non-stop.Giving birth every year and producing milk non-stop (especially given that dairy cows produce far more milk than they would naturally to feed a calf due to selective breeding)is a terrible drain on the cow's bodies and instead of living into their late teens or 20's as they would naturally most are slaughered at 5 or 6 when their milk production ability decreases a little.

Many dairy cows suffer from mastitis (not sure spelling is right)-inflamation of the udders due to rough milking.This is very painful.Many are 'zero-grazed' which means they live in huge concrete-floored barns for their whole lives and never see natural grass.

Answer 10

This (www.meat.org) explains that very thing. I started drinking SOY milk because of it...trying to switch over to vegan

Answer 11

They are cows, large grazing herd animals, not exactly sentient or aware beings. They exist to feed us. There would be no cows if we did not eat them and use their dairy products. Mankind have created the species we call cows, they do not really exist in the wild. There is no such thing as cruelty towards a cow.

Answer 12

No.

Veal has had such bad press that it can't be sold in enough quantities to justify the lives of the animals born to the dairy cows. The beef farms don't want dairy cows and there's no need to keep them all as milkers.

The simple fact is a lot of the calfs, especially the bullocks, merely wait a couple of days for the vet to come round and shoot them. Either that or they'll go straight off to go into some really sickly, cheap sausages.

Strange really. UK laws are now such that a veal calf isn't treated like you'd imagine. A small veal industry (not a big one) would actually prolong and enhance the life of thousands of animals.

It's a strange and bizarre world.

Answer 13

Yes, it does.  Like all mammals, cows have to be pregnant to produce milk, which they do for their babies.  However, the babies are taken away within hours of birth.  The females become dairy cows like mom, and the males go off to the veal crates.

Cows kept for their milk are artificially inseminated every year so they are constantly pregnant and/or producing milk.  Once a cow's productoin declines, usually at a fraction of her lifespan, she is sent to slaughter and usually becomes hamburger.

It's said there is a piece of veal in every glass of milk.  Since you are a human and no longer an infant, there is no need for you to consume mammals' milk.

Answer 14

I found all of these sites for you.  I hope you will look at them.  They give a lot of information on the subject you are concerned about.  Then you can decide based on the information instead of just listening to me:)  After all you don't even know me...I hope these help.

http://www.mercyforanimals.org/dairy_and...

http://www.milksucks.co.uk/dump.html

http://www.goveg.com/factoryFarming_cows...

http://www.livingcrueltyfree.com/2008/04...

http://www.chooseveg.com/dairy.asp

http://www.alabamavoiceforanimals.org/mi...

http://www.peta.org/mc/factsheet_display...

http://www.downbound.com/Dairy_Farming_s...

http://www.milkmyths.org.uk/

Answer 15

Milk Facts

------------------------------...

* Like all female mammals, cows produce milk for one reason—to feed their own babies.

* Veal & leather is a “byproduct” of the dairy industry. Male calves are taken from their mothers within a day of birth; all calves raised to become veal are the children of dairy cows

* “Organic” dairy farms are often even worse than conventional dairy farms: Mother cows are still forcibly impregnated and forced to live mired in dirt and f***s, and their babies are still taken from them. Also, organic farms don’t always treat sick animals because medications would prevent them from being able to sell the milk as organic. Instead, they often simply keep sick and physically compromised animals around so that their milk can be sold to conventional dairies.

* Researchers have shown that dairy-product consumption can lead to ailments including asthma, acne, diabetes, and even osteoporosis.

Therefore...without doubt...

IF YOU CONSUMING DAIRY MILK, YOU'RE SUPPORTING VEAL INDUSTRIES AS WELL.

Learn more about cow’s milk consumption and human illness.

http://www.peta.org/mc/factsheet_display...

Answer 16

Yes. Like all mammals, cows must give birth in order to begin producing milk. The male calves born to dairy cows will never produce milk, so they are raised and slaughtered for meat. Many are taken away from their mothers and turned into veal.

http://mercyforanimals.org/dairy_and_vea...

http://www.chooseveg.com/dairy.asp

There is even more suffering in the egg industry. The egg-laying hens are so intensively confined that they can't even flap their wings, and the males are thrown into grinders (while still conscious) or are suffocated in plastic bags. :(

Answer 17

Yes, it does.

Cows are given way too many hormones, cutting down their lifespans. Besides all those hormones are not good for you at all, I stopped drinking milk all together after hearing gross horror stories about how it's made.

If animal cruelty is a big concern for you then I wouldn't drink it. However, if you don't mind the risk and process just do what you want.

Hope that helps,

=]

Answer 18

Yes it does and yeah you are supporting cruelty......with the milk and dairy products consumption

I'm a vegan

Answer 19

The simple answer is yes.

Even in the UK we now export ( as of 2006 ) dairy bulls for veal to Spain and Italy.

Organic does not help the situation, the calves still go for veal.

Answer 20

Buy local organic milk.  Know your source, visit the farm, or call, ask questions!  Be sure to buy milk that comes from PASTURE RAISED cows.  Grain fed is bad for the cows and the environment.  

If you can get it, buy RAW cow's milk.  It takes a little getting used to, but it's much better for you.  Milk is a LIVE food product and pasteurizing it kills all the good stuff.  DO NOT drink grain fed raw cow's milk as the grain promotes the BAD bacteria from forming.  Not all germs are bad!  People nowadays act all crazy if a germ gets on the farm and I just don't understand.

Not all dairy farmers support veal.  Know your source!  At my restaurant I know where just about every ingredient comes from, even the guy's name that raises the food I serve.

EDIT:  All I'm saying is know your source.  The only way to know if you're supporting the veal industry is to go you your source and ask them questions!  Do not buy commodity milk as you surely are supporting the veal industry.

11 thumbs down for telling someone to know where their food comes from?  This is why I don't answer many vegan questions; you guys are all brainwashed.  Eat some omega-3's for Christ's sake.  Your brains are deteriorating.

Answer 21

yes

the only way a cow gives milk is when they have a baby. the farmer takes the baby cow and get veal.

but if you like milk drink it.

do what you can for the animals not what other expect you to

Answer 22

Most diary brands do get rid of the calves and a lot of times they go towards veal. I still love my daily breakfast of plain yogurt,granola,and fruit though LOL

Answer 23

No, not unless the particular farmers that supply calfs to the meat industry also produce milk. The two don't neccassarily go hand in hand. You can have a diary farm without supply calfs to the meat industry. The young bulls produced by cows on dairy farms are very often shared around the farms to produce the next generation of cattle. For example, on the dairy farms where I live that happens. They aren't sent to slaughter - they're sold and/or to other farms to prevent inbreeding.

Answer 24

Cows have a calf every year. Half of these calves are heifers ( females) and they are raised to become milkers themselves.

The bull ( male) calves are used for meat in one form or another.

The veal "industry" is very small, most calves are raised for meat or dog food.

But yes, the calves are a by product of the dairy industry.

However to assume that it supports cruelty is wrong. Sure, there are bad farmers, but most farmers care about their animals and want them to be happy and healthy.

Answer 25

Okay, the milking and veal industry in the UK is very different to Europe and other countries; it is not as cruel as it is abroad and the fact we send so much of our veal abroad is crazy as our veal calves are so well cared for here as well as our dairy cows in general. Although I am not a vegetarian, I do care about how the meat I eat is cared for and farmed. I believe that my meat should come from well cared for and happy animals and not battery farmed or pumped full of steroids and god knows what.

I have a friend whose father owns a dairy herd and produces veal, I was amazed at how well cared for his cattle was. He is a proper farmer who wants to produce the best meat and dairy produce not for the most profit!