Dairy Farming
Be it cheese, milk, yoghurt or even ice-cream, the average person would rarely go a day without consuming some type of dairy product. It takes 1.6 million cows producing over 5,000 litres of milk each every year to satisfy this demand in Australia.
The sheer scale of commercial milk production has led to some serious animal welfare problems in the dairy industry.
There is a dark side of dairying that is hidden from the average milk drinker.
Bobby calves - In order to produce milk, a dairy cow needs to be pregnant or lactating. The majority of male calves and some female calves are surplus to the farmer's needs. These 'bobby calves' are separated from their mother shortly after birth, hand fed then transported to slaughter at 5 days old. Government standards may soon allow calves to be off feed for 30 hours and transported for up to 12 hours. The RSPCA position is that animals this young are not equipped to withstand the rigors of transport and that they should be at least 10 days old before being transported off farm and then slaughtered within 12 hours of last feed.
- Read more about bobby calves
Calving induction - If a calf is due to be born outside the desired time for calving, the mother will be induced. This means the calf will be born prematurely, risking the health of the mother and baby.
Dehorning and disbudding - In a bid to avoid injury to people or other animals, the dairy industry recommends removing the buds or if not done soon enough, the horns, from calves. The problem is that these procedures are performed without the use of anaesthetic or pain relief.
Lameness - Dairy cows may have to walk a long way, over rough tracks from the paddock to the milking shed then stand for extended periods on concrete floors. This makes lameness a painful problem for many dairy cows.
Mastitis - Around 5% of dairy cows in a herd may suffer from clinical mastitis, a severely painful and potentially fatal condition related to hygiene, milking procedures and nutrition.
Tail docking - Around 9% of farmers still routinely dock the tails of their dairy cows despite evidence that it's totally unncessary. The painful procedure is performed without anaesthetic. Shortening the tail prevents the cow from protecting herself against fly bites.
Live export of dairy heifers - Around 50,000 dairy heifers are shipped overseas every year for breeding. Export standards allow heavily pregnant animals to travel on these stressful journeys. Heifers may be sent to countries where poor animal handling, transport and slaughter are routine practice and where they are susceptible to diseases against which they have not been vaccinated.
Take Action
- Contact Dairy Australia
- Email Federal Agriculture Minister Joe Ludwig, your State or Territory Primary Industry/Agriculture Minister or your local MP.
- Contact the makers of your favourite dairy products (be they milk, yoghurt or cheese). Contact details are often on the label. Ask them about their standards for bobby calf and cow welfare.
- Write a letter to the editor of your local paper.