People would be shocked to learn about the amount of torture taking place on dairy farms.The unfortunate reality of what is actually happening on these farms continues to escape the scrutiny of people because huge corporations do what they can to hide their evil actions from the public. Unfortunately, many of the mistreatments are completely legal and kept very quiet. Because of this is it is the responsibility of the people to ask, does our consumption of dairy products directly affect the treatment of cows?
A huge misconception about dairy products is that because you are not eating the actual animal, you are not hurting it. Mercy for Animals (MFA), an organization focused on exposing the truth about the mistreatment of animals in the food industry, have sent their employees to work undercover at dairy farms throughout the country. They have released footage from some of these farms that are extremely popular, especially on YouTube. Paul McCartney famously said, “If slaughterhouses had glass walls, we would all be vegetarian.” This is why the actions of organizations like MFA are so important to exposing these truths. Their research shows that by supporting the dairy industry you are supporting the methods they use to produce their product.
The MFA sent an undercover employee to work at the leading dairy farm in NYS, Willet Dairy. This agent gathered evidence with a hidden camera and exposed the farm for what it really was. His footage showed sick and dying cows being left in misery without any treatments from veterinarians. It showed “Downed cows, which are cows that are left for long periods of time before they are killed or die on their own, that are too sick to be able to stand.” He also captured workers abusing the cows. In one of the most sickening moments, a worker is seen smashing a wrench over a cows head to make it move. The calves are shown to have their horns being burned off of them while being poked in the eyes by workers to keep them restrained. The calves were not given any sort of painkillers. They also had their tails cut off of them. The living conditions for the cows are unimaginable. They are stuffed together in sheds that are filled with manure. Cows are regularly injected with dangerous hormones to make them produce more milk.
“The secret ingredient in Burger King’s cheese is horrific animal abuse,” This is a direct quote from the director of Mercy for Animals after releasing the footage taken by an undercover Mercy for Animals employee at Dairies’ Dry Creek Dairy, located in Idaho. In the video you can see employees at the farm stomping on the heads of cows.
You can see them whipping them for not responding exactly how the workers want. You can see the poor animals sporting their injuries. The worst moment for me was watching one cow who was tied by the neck to a tractor. The tractor was dragging the already injured cow around, even after it had completely fallen.
All of the information about the dairy farm abuse is evidence to the fact that much of milk is purchased from factories that torture their cows. Purchasing a product from a company is giving them recognition that what they sell is something you support. According to basic economic principles, the more consumers in a market- the more product produced (investopedia.com). Dairy farm cows have limited to no laws protecting them so companies take advantage of the defenseless animals. A basic inference of this information would result in the theory that by supporting the milk industry, you are supporting the abuse and mistreatment of dairy cows.
Animal abuse in the dairy farm industry is extremely prevalent. Not much is being done about it. Boycotting the industry altogether will make an impact on helping the abused animals. I wonder, after reading all about the falsities and lies in the animal production industry what will you walk away from this with? Jonathan Safran Foer wrote,“We can't plead ignorance, only indifference. Those alive today are the generations that came to know better. We have the burden and the opportunity of living in the moment when the critique of factory farming broke into the popular consciousness. We are the ones of whom it will be fairly asked, What did you do when you learned the truth about eating animals?” (Eating Animals).
Annotated Bibliography
"Rampant Cruelty at California Slaughterhouse." Http://www.cok.net/inv/central-valley-meat/. Compassion Over Killing, 21 Aug. 2012. Web. Compassion over Killing is a group that works towards ending animal abuse. They sent an investigator to the Central Valley Meat Co (CVM)., which is located in California. They are one of the largest food suppliers for the National School Lunch Program set up by the U.S. Department of Agriculture. Although it would seem that the government would keep an eye one where they are getting the products for their programs, the CVM had been getting away with breaking federal animal welfare requirements and basic animal protection laws in California. The footage shows some of the most gruesome and terrifying images I have ever seen. The video is so graphic that YouTube warns viewers of its explicit content. The cow in this video can be seen undergoing outrageous abuse. Some are shown being shot in the head, electrocuted, and beaten.
Exposed: Cruelty at Burger King Dairy Farm | Common Dreams." Common Dreams. N.p., 11 Oct. 2012. Web. 03 Nov. 2013. “The secret ingredient in Burger King’s cheese is horrific animal abuse,” This is a direct quote from the director of Mercy for Animals after releasing the footage taken by an undercover Mercy for Animals employee at Dairies’ Dry Creek Dairy, located in Idaho. In the video you can see employees at the farm stumping on the heads of cows. You can see them whipping them for not responding exactly how they are intended to. You can see the poor animals sporting their injuries. The worst moment for me was watching one cow who tied by the neck to a tractor. The tractor was dragging the already injured cow around, even when it had completely fallen.
At the moment there are no federal guidelines, at all, set up to regulate animal abuse at dairy farms. The farm was not shut down and the owner made a statement, "We showed the video to all the rest of the employees in our dairies, all 500 employees, and they had to sign a deal that said they understand that there's zero tolerance for animal abuse in our dairies,"
Pierce. "Pittsburgh (Abolitionist) Vegan." Pittsburgh Abolitionist Vegan. N.p., 25 Apr. 2012. Web. 31 Oct. 2013. We have been selectively breeding cows to produce more milk for years now. It was mans doing that cows would be in any situation that is dangerous to itself if not milked. A cow had the same kind of feeding system that a human female has. If people started hooking women up to machines and stealing their breast milk, there would be much outrage. By supporting the milk industry you are supporting the selective breeding of animals. You are also supporting the shorter life spans of cows because they are immediately slaughtered once they stop producing the milk the way they are supposed to. It is also supporting killing all male cows because they don't have the opportunity to produce milk
"Dairy Investigation | Mercy For Animals." Dairy Investigation | Mercy For Animals. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013. Mercy for Animals is an organization focused on exposing the truth about the mistreatment of animals in the food industry. In 2009 they sent an undercover MFA worker to undercover at one of the leading dairy farms in NYS. He gathered evidence with his hidden camera. His work exposed the farm for what it really is. Showed the sick and dying cows being left to their misery without any treatments from vets. It showed the “Downed cows, which are cows that are left for long periods of time before they are killed or die on their own, that are too sick to be able to stand. The footage shows workers abusing the cows. The calves are shown to have their horns being burned off of them while being poked in the eyes by workers to keep them restrained. The calves were given no kinds of painkillers. They also had their tails cut off of them. The living conditions for the cows are unimaginable. They are stuffed together in sheds that are filled with manure. Cows are regularly injected with dangerous hormones to make them produce more mile.
Oppel, Richard A., Jr. "Taping of Farm Cruelty Is Becoming the Crime."Www.nytimes.com. New York Times, 6 Apr. 2013. Web. 11 Nov. 2013. Rather than rewarding the filmmakers of these revolutionary videos, many legislators are trying to make it illegal for people to film the happenings of a farm. “The Animal and Ecological Terrorism Act,” is a proposed bill that would inhibit any videoing or picture-taking that would “defame” the farm. “Violators would be placed on a “terrorist registry.” Another bill would force employees to have to sign whether they are part of an animal rights activist group or not. While the farms, that were caught mistreating their animals, seemed apologetic and regretful, they are now looking for ways to keep videos like this surfacing again… it’s as if they know it is inevitable that it will.
Works Cited
Bittman, Mark. "Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others." Opinionator Some Animals Are More Equal Than Others Comments. New York Times, 15 Mar. 2011. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.
"Dairy Investigation | Mercy For Animals." Dairy Investigation | Mercy For Animals. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.
"Does Being a Vegetarian Really Save Animals?" Vegan Outreach. N.p., n.d. Web. 31 Oct. 2013.
Exposed: Cruelty at Burger King Dairy Farm | Common Dreams." Common Dreams. N.p., 11 Oct. 2012. Web. 03 Nov. 2013.
Oppel, Richard A., Jr. "Taping of Farm Cruelty Is Becoming the Crime."Www.nytimes.com. New York Times, 6 Apr. 2013. Web. 11 Nov. 2013.