EXPOSED: Babies Bludgeoned and Mothers Shot Repeatedly for Milk
Horrific video footage captured during a PETA Asia investigation reveals severe abuse and neglect on a dairy farm in New South Wales, Australia. As a result of the disturbing findings, a complaint has been filed.
In the footage, which was recorded between July and November 2016, one cow, Tammy, can be seen crying out in pain and distress as workers use a huge mechanical calf puller to pry her baby violently from her womb. She was helpless against this assault. Her calf died during birth, and she died several days later, having been denied veterinary care.
Other calves who survived birth but were deemed unprofitable were bludgeoned to death with hammers. Some who were sick or lame were left to languish for days without veterinary treatment. Mother cows were also killed in cruel ways – including by being shot in the head multiple times with a captive-bolt gun – when their milk production waned.
Are You Buying Dairy ‘Products’ From Farms Like This?
Cows on UK dairy farms also face being repeatedly forcibly impregnated throughout their lives so that they’ll produce milk almost constantly, only for their babies to be torn away from them shortly after birth. The calves are often sold to the veal industry, which keeps them tethered in tiny stalls before slaughtering them when they’re around 8 months old. Once a mother cow’s body is exhausted by this cycle of abuse, she’s shipped off to the abattoir to be turned into cheap meat.
The farm shown in the exposé is a member of Norco, Australia’s oldest and second-largest dairy cooperative, whose products are sold in huge supermarkets, such as ALDI. When you buy dairy “products”, there’s usually no easy way to know which farm they’re from – but you’ll always be supporting suffering.
What You Can Do
As the harrowing video footage shows, every carton of milk, slice of cheese, and scoop of ice cream means terrible suffering for cows, no matter which country it’s from.
More and more people are rejecting the cruelty involved in the dairy industry – including former dairy farmers – and with so many plant-based milks, cheeses, and ice creams available, it’s never been easier to go vegan. For help with making the switch, order one of PETA’s free vegan starter kits and take our 30-day vegan pledge today.
