This February, the Winnipeg Humane Society and our Animal Welfare team are bringing awareness to welfare concerns commonly associated with dairy production, and encouraging our community to learn more about the complex and sentient lives of dairy cows. One of the easiest ways you can make a difference is by reducing your dairy consumption.
We know that it is not easy to completely cut dairy from your diet. However, our challenge for you this month is to try some of the dairy-free alternatives now readily available. There is now an abundance of plant-based and dairy free alternatives that are carried in both in grocery stores and at your favourite restaurants and cafes.
Some examples of what to try, might include:
Trying almond or oat milk in your morning coffee or cereal
Swapping plant-based cheese on your pizza at restaurants
Keeping an eye out for new plant-based yogurts, ice creams, and desserts at your local grocer.
Throughout the month we will be sharing facts and statistics to highlight what dairy cows and their calves must go through in order to produce dairy products for human consumption. We’ll also shed light on positive stories, emphasizing how amazing and sweet cows can be when given the opportunity.
Canada’s Dairy Industry at a Glance:
Canada is home to roughly 9,952 dairy farms
There are approximately 1.4 million cows and heifers housed throughout Canada
Cows produce an average of 10,800 kg of milk per lactation cycle (305 days)
The average dairy cow has been modified to produce 30 Liters of milk a day
In comparison, the average beef cow produces 3-5 Liters of milk a day for her calf
There are roughly 47,000 milking cows in Manitoba housed in Manitoba distributed between 242 dairy farms
The average herd size on a Manitoban dairy barn is roughly 190 cows.
A total of roughly 414.4 million liters of milk is produced in Manitoba every single year.
Just with every other mammal, dairy cows only produce milk once they have been impregnated and have given birth to a baby. On Canadian Dairy farms, cows are artificially inseminated once they reach sexually maturity at roughly 2 years of age, and go on to carry their babies for 9 months. Once a calf is born, it receives nutrient rich colostrum from its mother, and then is separated from her within hours of being born. Calves are housed in individual white hutches, or small group pens with other calves, away from the dairy cow herd. Calves are often fenced in or chained to their hutches with very minimal space to move around. Two months after giving birth, dairy cows are re-impregnated to keep their lactation production high, and the cycle continues. Dairy cows have roughly 2-4 calves in their lives before milk production begins to drop and they are sent for slaughter. Despite being culled at only 4-6 years of age, dairy cows naturally live up to 20 years when given the opportunity.
Female calves born into the dairy industry are raised to enter the herd, whereas males are either raised for veal or low-grade beef. Some male calves are slaughtered as young as 4-6 months of age. Canada’s veal industry, known for its severe welfare concerns, is a direct byproduct of Canada’s dairy industry.
Animal Welfare Concerns Associated With the Dairy Industry:
The Winnipeg Humane Society has many welfare concerns associated with Canada’s dairy industry:
The bond between a mother and her baby should never be severed. On Canadian dairy farms, baby calves never have an opportunity to bond with, nurse from and be cared for by their mothers. Likewise, after carrying their babies for 9 months, dairy cows never have the opportunity to care for their calves. Dairy cows form complex maternal bonds with their young, and the psychological distress they experience when their calves are permanently taken from them is a major animal welfare red flag.
Many dairy farms in Canada continue to utilize tie stalls to house their dairy cows. Tie stalls keep cows constantly tethered by the neck in their stalls, preventing the cows from any ability to walk, graze, turn around, socialize, groom or move freely throughout the barn.
Tie stalls often result in direct laminitis in dairy cows, from an inability to properly walk and exercise.
Some dairy barns in Canada provide their cows with no outdoor access whatsoever, forcing cows to only experience concrete slatted barns throughout their entire lives.
It is common practice for producers to torch the underside of a cow’s udders to burn off any hair, which industry claims helps to reduce mastitis risk. Cows are provided with no anesthetic prior to having flames applied to their udders.
It is common practice for producers to utilize electric ‘trainers’ when cows are housed in tie stalls. Cows receive an electric shock along their backs when arching their backs to defecate or urinate. The justification is so that cows are electrically shocked into being trained to pass their bodily functions in the gutter of the barn, and not directly into the stall where they are housed.
Cows in barns with robotic milking systems are more at risk for stray voltage electrical shocks when in contact with various part of the equipment.
Dairy calves are subjected to painful procedures like debudding, dehorning and branding. Though a form of pain control is required as outlined in the Codes of Practice for dairy cows, anesthetic drugs are not.
Canada’s dairy industry is directly linked to the veal industry, which sees young male calves forcibly confined with no ability to exercise, walk, or engage in natural juvenile behaviours. Male calves are kept purposely anemic to keep their muscles pale upon slaughter for veal consumption.
Female calves are housed in isolated, small white hutches away from their mother’s view, with no ability to nurse from their mothers as they grow.
Cows, like other farm animals, have extremely limited legal protection with producers following the National Farm Animal Care Council’s Codes of Practice for Dairy Cows – recommendations outline minimal standards of care, and are not legally binding.
How You Can help Dairy Cows:
The most effective way to help improve the welfare of Canada’s dairy cows is to reduce your dairy consumption. Now more than ever, Canada has a multitude of affordable and tasty dairy free products available – from cheese to ice cream to coffee creamers.
Write to your Member of Parliament to share the above concerns regarding the treatment of Canadian dairy cows, and demand stronger legal protection for Canada’s farm animals. You can find your MP here.
Volunteer with or donate to the Winnipeg Humane Society’s advocacy department so that we can continue this important work.
Visit one of Manitoba’s local farm animal sanctuaries and make friends with a rescued dairy cow.
Educate friends and family on the plight of dairy cows within Canada, by sharing the following resources below.
DONATE NOW
Report Abuse
