Milk - what is it?

1162:

Milk is a big issue, but it’s not often talked about. It is not a subject for discussion. It nutritive values have been overblown and it’s nutritive dangers hardly ever mentioned. Nor is it mentioned, the mechanical sucking of milk from cow’s udders nor the killing of baby calves, who otherwise would have access to the udder.

The cow herself is regarded as a machine for making milk. The quality of her life is never considered. The substance from cows is valued, the cow’s life is not valued, unless by vegans. We’re very happy to talk about it, notably that empathy for cows seems to be largely switched off.

If we do think about the cow’s situation, if we can feel any empathy for her, then we can guess how she feels - for instance, when her calf is taken away. Anthropomorphically-speaking, we can guess how the cow is feeling, being connected up to a machine twice a day, made to feel powerless, being forcibly   inseminated leading to a birth. Then she has her offspring taken away. 

         

Loss of freedom is inimical to all wild creatures, and humans too. Once we grant animals their freedom, as in no longer making use of them, and once they are being looked after in sanctuaries, then, perhaps, we can restore relations with them. And however it is, when we’re with them, as long as we aren’t violating them or disregarding them or treating them as if they were inferior, then we’re on the road to repair and atonement. And then, once again, we can enjoy being close to them.

         

It’s just this very human trait of wanting-to-be-close. The buzz we get from animals is not so very different from the buzz we get from kids. Unfortunately, some people are not familiar with that sort of closeness. To them animals mean very little. They see them as objects, certainly not as equals. They’re there to be exploited. An attitude like that, amongst 6 billion milk drinkers from 300,000 cows, all over the world, puts cows in a parlous position. The only thing that will save cows from their horrible treatment is for a shift in attitude amongst the milk-drinkers.