MILK

Dairy cows are expected to have an unnaturally high milk supply, so vets often prescribe hormones and antibiotics to keep this supply up and the cow well enough to produce. Yuk.

There are serious animal welfare issues that go alongside milk production. Cows produce milk when they become pregnant, so they are forcefully impregnated. The calves are then taken away at birth, and if they are male, they are shot or sold for veal. The females enter into the dairy production cycle. The mother cows will often scream for their babies for days. All completely horrendous.

Organic dairy farming has much higher welfare standards for cattle and, thankfully, zero antibiotics. This way of farming is also less intensive and male calves are never killed or sold into ‘continental veal systems’ So, try using a bit less dairy, and try buying organic when you do.

For more information on organic milk, see The Soil Association.

The Guardian published a good article on this a while back.