Why I am not a vegan

[Monica]

But if dairy products are biological and local products are they also enslaving animals? Is there any way to have access to those products without enslaving them or without being a bad person?

A small farm or ranch which allows the cows to roam freely, is less cruel than a factory farm, to be sure. If the cows are hand-milked, like in the old days, of course that is better than being hooked up to the machines. If the cows aren't injected with hormones to make them produce more milk (which causes extreme discomfort) of course that is better than what goes on in factory dairies.

But, the fact remains that cows produce milk to feed their babies, like all mammalian mothers. Where is the baby? What is the baby eating, if his/her milk is being given to humans instead?

If you visit the farm, where are the calves? Are they allowed to suckle? If the calves are nursing, and only a bit of excess milk is taken, that might be acceptable. But that is highly unlikely. Farmers raise cows to make $$. This means that they will take as much milk from the cow as possible, to maximize profits. So no matter how you slice it, if there's milk, that is milk that the calf isn't getting. Where is the calf?

Even with 'humane' farms, the calves are usually taken, and sold for meat, usually veal, which is extremely cruel. And what happens to the cow after her milking days are over? Off to the slaughterhouse!

The milk industry is the flip side of the meat industry.

Here is how most dairy is produced:

Dairy in 60 Seconds Flat

Here is a former rancher, talking about 'humane' meat and dairy:

Harold Brown: Former Rancher on 'Humane' Meat and Dairy

and another former rancher:

Talk - Howard Lyman - Plain Truth from the Cattle Rancher Who Won't Eat Meat


(Both of these are just talks and Not graphic.)

I know how hard it is to give up dairy. I struggled with it for years. Pablisimo told me that milk has opiods (which are addictive) and if I could just stay off it for 72 hours, I would be free. This works for any addiction.

He was right. I backslid a few times, but the 72-hour thing really does work. Plus, there are now vegan cheeses that are really good.

Good luck!

...