In many Dharma religions, the issue of dairy consumption is a challenge where ancient scripture sometimes doesn’t resonate with modern realities. In most Dharma traditions, cows are worshiped, and in Hindu Dharma, she is seen as one of our mothers. All Dharma traditions believed that no harm should ever come to the cow or her offspring. Many people think that no harm comes to cows in modern dairy production. Unfortunately, this is not the case.
The reality in all commercial dairy, no matter the label or size of the farm, is that cows and their calves suffer terribly in the dairy industry. The cow is sexually violated with artificial insemination, then, after giving birth, her calf is taken from her causing severe emotional distress and she will go to a brutal slaughter in a fraction of her natural lifespan. Much of the ground beef at the store and in fast food is from dairy cows bodies. The female calves, frightened and alone after being taken from their mother, are chained or penned in a small area and bottle feed till they are old enough for forced insemination. The baby males are useless to the dairy industry and are sold and slaughtered for veal or beef. In our modern society, there is no difference between the meat and dairy industries since a large portion of the profit in dairy production relies on the slaughter of cows, which are then consumed as hamburger meat.
In Modern Times, Dairy is Liquid Meat
Cows suffer horribly in dairy production, no matter the size of the farm or the label on the carton (with the exception of some devotee ashram farms–see Ahimsa Dairy Checklist). The cow is sexually violated with artificial insemination where a farmer inserts a long “sperm gun” into the vagina and at the same time, puts his arm in her rectum and manipulates her uterus to accept the sperm. (search YouTube for “artificial insemination of dairy cows” to watch this terrible violation in action).
Then, after giving birth, her calf is immediately taken from her causing severe emotional distress and she will be sent to a brutal slaughter in a fraction of her natural lifespan. Much of the ground beef at the store is from dairy cow’s bodies. The female calves are taken from their mother and are chained or penned in a small area and bottle feed till they are old enough for forced insemination. The baby males are useless to the dairy industry and are sold and slaughtered for veal or beef. Brave undercover investigators who take video footage of dairy farms have repeatedly documented hitting, kicking, and striking the cows and calves with pitchforks, fists, and other implements. This brutal abuse is common on dairy farms.
For meat, we kill the animal and steal her body parts. For dairy, we steal her milk, then kill her for meat. It is the same. Kill and steal or steal and kill, all animal products cause suffering. Unfortunately, “humane” and organic labeled dairy are no better. The only way to truly know that you are not causing harm to mother cow (beside going directly to the farm and asking the questions on the Ahimsa Dairy Checklist) is to live vegan. Please don’t support the suffering by eating or buying commercial dairy.
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For more on the Dharma Traditions and Veganism: