"Cows give us milk" how often do we hear that little phrase,
It sounds so inoffensive, don't you think?
It simply wouldn't sound as nice to say "we steal the milk
That's intended for a new born calf to drink".
And it wouldn't do to say that cows are forced to have a baby,
Not one baby but a baby every year,
For a cow, like any lady, has to have a little baby
Or her milk supply will simply disappear.
And it wouldn't seem so civilized to publicize the fact
That the tiny babe is snatched away and killed,
So the milk designed to feed him can be cleverly extracted
Just so human folk can have their tummies filled.
So this oft repeated phrase makes the dairy people happy,
Those who drink the milk are happy, and it seems a happy scene,
But the cow with udder swollen, and her new born baby stolen
Is the sad and tragic victim of this industry obscene.
One million bobby calves are killed each year in Australia.The mother cow is forced to produce about ten times as much milk as nature intended and is killed at about 7 years of age. Her natural life-span would be about 20 years.
Moon
04-13-2006, 09:19 AM
Thank you, Karen! I had to take some animal science courses as a pre-vet student, and the more i learned about the treatment of "food" animals--and the better i got to know the people who were going into that field--the gladder i was to have been vegetarian all my adult life. Tofu mixed with sweetener and flavoring and chilled to just above freezing makes a delicious ice cream, and tempeh & seitan are tastier than cheese; soy milk or fruit juice goes great on cereal or as a drink. By the way, Karen, do you happen to know what a bobby calf is?
COWS GIVE US MILK
by Jenny Moxham
"Cows give us milk" how often do we hear that little phrase,
It sounds so inoffensive, don't you think?
It simply wouldn't sound as nice to say "we steal the milk
That's intended for a new born calf to drink".
And it wouldn't do to say that cows are forced to have a baby,
Not one baby but a baby every year,
For a cow, like any lady, has to have a little baby
Or her milk supply will simply disappear.
And it wouldn't seem so civilized to publicize the fact
That the tiny babe is snatched away and killed,
So the milk designed to feed him can be cleverly extracted
Just so human folk can have their tummies filled.
So this oft repeated phrase makes the dairy people happy,
Those who drink the milk are happy, and it seems a happy scene,
But the cow with udder swollen, and her new born baby stolen
Is the sad and tragic victim of this industry obscene.
One million bobby calves are killed each year in Australia.The mother cow is forced to produce about ten times as much milk as nature intended and is killed at about 7 years of age. Her natural life-span would be about 20 years.
Karen
04-13-2006, 10:54 AM
I didnt find a definition for Bobby Calf, but the general gist can be picked up from this interesting article, I think. Please post a more concise definition if you find one.
Isn't it sad that the desire for milk causes all these unwanted animals to be brought into this world, only to be cruelly treated and butchered as babes. Thanks for your response and question, Moon.
Bobby Calf Welfare
Do you know what veal is?
There are three types of veal generally produced in Australia. Dairy farmers sell off their male calves and female calves not suitable for future breeding, as bobby calves from four days old. These calves are either collected from the farm and taken directly to the abattoir to be slaughtered the next day, or the farmer may take them to a local sale yards. Here they can be purchased by a buyer from the abattoir and then transported to the abattoir for slaughter. The meat from these calves is known as veal. A large percentage of it is exported to the United States and the remainder goes to the domestic market where it can be blended with other meats for small goods or supplied to restaurants. (The entire carcass is utilised in some way with the bones even being used for some types of designer dog bones.)
https://www.rspcavic.org/images/bobby_2.jpgAnother source of veal is through the raising of beef calves on their mothers until they are approximately six months old or they reach a target weight. As these calves live in paddocks with their mothers they also eat grass as well as continuing to feed from their mother.
The third source is the raising of calves in a collective group. These calves are purchased selectively from farmers who have bred them with this market in mind and are predominantly Holstein or Holstein cross. They are fed their mother’s milk and grain concentrates for eight weeks and then they move to 100% grain concentrate for a further eight weeks until they are slaughtered. Alternatively some farmers prefer to feed their calves on an ad-lib system of feeding allowing the calves as much milk as they need. Then from three weeks of age roughage is added to their diets in the form of grains and hay allowing the animals to balance their bodies needs by choosing between milk, grain and hay. As calves are social animals and need access to animals of their own age and size they are usually housed in pens of eight to ten and remain with the same animals for their entire lives. These calves require clean, hygienic and well-ventilated housing and it must protect them from extremes of temperature, wind and rain. Many farmers are now adopting the practice of adding Pro-biotics to the calf’s milk to aid digestion and protect against disease.
Welfare Concerns
Unfortunately some Australian producers are still not heeding the animal welfare issues and keep their calves in individual crates with little room to move. These calves are usually fed a milk replacer. Luckily this is generally not a cost-effective way of rearing calves in Australia and doesn’t produce superior quality veal.
However in Europe this is how most calves are raised. Each farmer only rears a few animals, maybe two or three and they are housed inside in very small individual crates or tied by the neck. The reason behind this is to prevent movement so that the calf’s muscles atrophy and as a result produce tender meat. They stay like this until they are slaughtered without having seen daylight or setting foot on soil.
The classic ‘White Veal of France’ is achieved by denying the calves iron, which would normally colour the muscle tissue a pinky/red. Iron is the central component to a molecule called Haemoglobin. Haemoglobin is responsible for transporting oxygen in an animals blood supply. A diet that is reduced or denied iron can cause the animals to become anaemic resulting in listlessness and a general lack of energy. The diet of these formula calves is usually a milk substitute.
Bobby calves are particularly sensitive to adverse conditions during handling and transport
Transportation of the young calves continues to be a major welfare issue as they are particularly sensitive to https://www.rspcavic.org/images/bobby_3.jpgadverse conditions during handling and transport. Most bobby calf buyers now have to adhere to strict guidelines when collecting and transporting calves from farms to abattoirs with fines for those who don’t comply. The RSPCA routinely inspects sale yards during sales and the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) attends most sales in Victoria as well as inspecting abattoirs to ensure the welfare of the animals.
Under the Code of accepted farming practice for the welfare of cattle (Victoria), Section 7.1.2 states, “Due to their size and age, bobby calves are particularly sensitive to conditions of husbandry and transport.” Part of Section 7.1.5 states, “The possibility of either injury or illness to the animals during transport should be reduced to a minimum.” Section 7.4.11 states, “Bobby calves should be loaded at a density so as to allow all calves to lie down while being transported.”
A farmer received a $750 fine plus an order to pay costs of $890 for cruelty to bobby calves during transportation. The farmer was found guilty of offences under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986 for transporting bobby calves.
RSPCA Inspectors observed a vehicle arriving at the Traralgon Sale yards. On the tray of the vehicle was a small metal enclosure containing three bobby calves. The RSPCA Inspector said there was not enough room inside the enclosure for the calves to stand straight and no room for them to lie down.
RSPCA Chief Veterinarian Dr Chris Thurgood says that in his opinion, bobby calves between four and 28 days of age suffer stress, shock and discomfort when transported in an overcrowded manner which prevents normal standing and lying down in a normal position.
“Calves of this age when jostled are less likely to remain standing securely and will stumble and fall awkwardly. These calves will suffer pain and bruising when they travel in a manner which forces them to trample each other. Bobby calves require room to lie down when traveling long distances and or over rough terrain”, Dr Thurgood said.
The code also stipulates that bobby calves must be transported in transports with enclosed fronts.
The RSPCA successfully prosecuted a farmer and farm employee for transporting bobby calves. The farmer and farm employee were each fined $1,000.
Dr Thurgood said, “In my opinion, bobby calves of this age traveling in a moving vehicle without wind protection are particularly susceptible to suffer wind chill, cold stress and discomfort.”
How you help?
Write to the Minister for Agriculture expressing your concerns.
Think before you buy veal or order veal in a restaurant!
Thank you, Karen! I had to take some animal science courses as a pre-vet student, and the more i learned about the treatment of "food" animals--and the better i got to know the people who were going into that field--the gladder i was to have been vegetarian all my adult life. Tofu mixed with sweetener and flavoring and chilled to just above freezing makes a delicious ice cream, and tempeh & seitan are tastier than cheese; soy milk or fruit juice goes great on cereal or as a drink. By the way, Karen, do you happen to know what a bobby calf is?
petermargolies
04-13-2006, 11:40 AM
Without going into a detailed defense of the dairy industry, can we just say that people are gonna disagree about whether cows should be raised to produce milk in the first place?
But putting that discussion aside, in order for dairy cows to produce milk they have to give birth on an annual basis. Most of the heiffer calves are kept by dairy farmers as replacement cows or to increase the size of their herd. Nearly all the bull calves are either neutered and raised as steers for beef - that takes about a year and a half - or raised for a shorter period - up to six months - for veal, calves liver and related consumables.
If there were no commercial market for veal and calves liver, these bull calves would be neutered and raised for beef. The meat from dairy cows and their offspring is not the greatest since these breeds have been developed to turn feed into milk, not meat, and a high percentage is gound into hamburger. If there were no market for these steers they would be killed at birth. If there were no market for cows milk and its many byproducts - butter, yogurt, cheese, etc. - the six breeds of dairy cows, including holsteins, guernseys, jerseys, and the rest would quickly become extinct.
That's farming, folks. Lamb chops come from baby lambs,, caviar is fish eggs and on and on. We are a part of the food chain, just as much as any wolf that ate a cute little bunny rabbit.
You can take yourself out of the food chain by becoming a vegaterian, but didn't I read somewhere that plants respond to stimuli?
I don't mean to be flip here, just to explain that until farmers figure out how to get their dairy cows to keep producing milk without having to breed them on an annual basis, there are gonna be calves.
I didnt find a definition for Bobby Calf, but the general gist can be picked up from this interesting article, I think. Please post a more concise definition if you find one.
Isn't it sad that the desire for milk causes all these unwanted animals to be brought into this world, only to be cruelly treated and butchered as babes. Thanks for your response and question, Moon.
Bobby Calf Welfare
Do you know what veal is?
There are three types of veal generally produced in Australia. Dairy farmers sell off their male calves and female calves not suitable for future breeding, as bobby calves from four days old. These calves are either collected from the farm and taken directly to the abattoir to be slaughtered the next day, or the farmer may take them to a local sale yards. Here they can be purchased by a buyer from the abattoir and then transported to the abattoir for slaughter. The meat from these calves is known as veal. A large percentage of it is exported to the United States and the remainder goes to the domestic market where it can be blended with other meats for small goods or supplied to restaurants. (The entire carcass is utilised in some way with the bones even being used for some types of designer dog bones.)
https://www.rspcavic.org/images/bobby_2.jpgAnother source of veal is through the raising of beef calves on their mothers until they are approximately six months old or they reach a target weight. As these calves live in paddocks with their mothers they also eat grass as well as continuing to feed from their mother.
The third source is the raising of calves in a collective group. These calves are purchased selectively from farmers who have bred them with this market in mind and are predominantly Holstein or Holstein cross. They are fed their mother’s milk and grain concentrates for eight weeks and then they move to 100% grain concentrate for a further eight weeks until they are slaughtered. Alternatively some farmers prefer to feed their calves on an ad-lib system of feeding allowing the calves as much milk as they need. Then from three weeks of age roughage is added to their diets in the form of grains and hay allowing the animals to balance their bodies needs by choosing between milk, grain and hay. As calves are social animals and need access to animals of their own age and size they are usually housed in pens of eight to ten and remain with the same animals for their entire lives. These calves require clean, hygienic and well-ventilated housing and it must protect them from extremes of temperature, wind and rain. Many farmers are now adopting the practice of adding Pro-biotics to the calf’s milk to aid digestion and protect against disease.
Welfare Concerns
Unfortunately some Australian producers are still not heeding the animal welfare issues and keep their calves in individual crates with little room to move. These calves are usually fed a milk replacer. Luckily this is generally not a cost-effective way of rearing calves in Australia and doesn’t produce superior quality veal.
However in Europe this is how most calves are raised. Each farmer only rears a few animals, maybe two or three and they are housed inside in very small individual crates or tied by the neck. The reason behind this is to prevent movement so that the calf’s muscles atrophy and as a result produce tender meat. They stay like this until they are slaughtered without having seen daylight or setting foot on soil.
The classic ‘White Veal of France’ is achieved by denying the calves iron, which would normally colour the muscle tissue a pinky/red. Iron is the central component to a molecule called Haemoglobin. Haemoglobin is responsible for transporting oxygen in an animals blood supply. A diet that is reduced or denied iron can cause the animals to become anaemic resulting in listlessness and a general lack of energy. The diet of these formula calves is usually a milk substitute.
Bobby calves are particularly sensitive to adverse conditions during handling and transport
Transportation of the young calves continues to be a major welfare issue as they are particularly sensitive to https://www.rspcavic.org/images/bobby_3.jpgadverse conditions during handling and transport. Most bobby calf buyers now have to adhere to strict guidelines when collecting and transporting calves from farms to abattoirs with fines for those who don’t comply. The RSPCA routinely inspects sale yards during sales and the Department of Primary Industries (DPI) attends most sales in Victoria as well as inspecting abattoirs to ensure the welfare of the animals.
Under the Code of accepted farming practice for the welfare of cattle (Victoria), Section 7.1.2 states, “Due to their size and age, bobby calves are particularly sensitive to conditions of husbandry and transport.” Part of Section 7.1.5 states, “The possibility of either injury or illness to the animals during transport should be reduced to a minimum.” Section 7.4.11 states, “Bobby calves should be loaded at a density so as to allow all calves to lie down while being transported.”
A farmer received a $750 fine plus an order to pay costs of $890 for cruelty to bobby calves during transportation. The farmer was found guilty of offences under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1986 for transporting bobby calves.
RSPCA Inspectors observed a vehicle arriving at the Traralgon Sale yards. On the tray of the vehicle was a small metal enclosure containing three bobby calves. The RSPCA Inspector said there was not enough room inside the enclosure for the calves to stand straight and no room for them to lie down.
RSPCA Chief Veterinarian Dr Chris Thurgood says that in his opinion, bobby calves between four and 28 days of age suffer stress, shock and discomfort when transported in an overcrowded manner which prevents normal standing and lying down in a normal position.
“Calves of this age when jostled are less likely to remain standing securely and will stumble and fall awkwardly. These calves will suffer pain and bruising when they travel in a manner which forces them to trample each other. Bobby calves require room to lie down when traveling long distances and or over rough terrain”, Dr Thurgood said.
The code also stipulates that bobby calves must be transported in transports with enclosed fronts.
The RSPCA successfully prosecuted a farmer and farm employee for transporting bobby calves. The farmer and farm employee were each fined $1,000.
Dr Thurgood said, “In my opinion, bobby calves of this age traveling in a moving vehicle without wind protection are particularly susceptible to suffer wind chill, cold stress and discomfort.”
How you help?
Write to the Minister for Agriculture expressing your concerns.
Think before you buy veal or order veal in a restaurant!
Karen
04-13-2006, 12:38 PM
As an ethical choice, veganism cannot be bettered.
Dian
This is the bottom line, the ideal, the last word. It rings truest of all the many debatable points. This is the ideal, a goal worth the time it takes to learn how. And if you're like me, giving up meat was easy, but it takes awhile to give up all those things made with eggs and cheese and so forth and to find satisifying foods to replace them with. But it is the most ethical for those who live by their convictions, and worth the effort in that it immediately and directly reduces the suffering on earth. ~K
As an ethical choice, veganism cannot be bettered.
Dian
As an ethical choice, veganism cannot be bettered.
Dian
As an ethical choice, veganism cannot be bettered.
Dian
Thanks for this interesting discussion, Karen and Moon.
One needs to go no further than Petaluma's livestock auctionyard to see the nastiness of the country's dependence on dairy. Young male calves, most only a few days old and of no value to the dairy industry are offloaded, often thrown from the truckbed to the ground, then auctioned, then loaded onto the triple decker trucks headed either to the slaughterhouse up the road (the one with the depiction of a mother cow and calf on the roof) or to veal pens for fattening. These youngsters have not had their mother's milk nor her warmth; it is indeed a cold cruel world for them.
Some years ago, a small group of animal advocates went to the auctionyard each week, quietly documenting the handling there. Prior to our visits, we closed the auctionyard for a morning by a show of strength in compassion. When we had enough eyewitness testimony we took it to Sacramento and ended up with state law giving some basic rights to animals at auction. The law was flawed in many ways but still was a first for "food" animals in the state.
As an ethical choice, veganism cannot be bettered.