Most people don’t think of the consequences of drinking a skinny latte or eating a toasted cheese sandwich. 

We are led to believe that cows produce milk ‘naturally’ and enjoy the milking process. It is certainly surprising for many to learn that the life of a dairy cow may be characterised by years of physical and emotional suffering.^[1]  

Cows have feelings too 

Cows are sentient beings who are capable of experiencing a range of emotions such as pleasure and enjoyment in addition to suffering, pain and fear.^[2] Research has also shown they have the mental capabilities to nurture friendships.^[3]

Contrary to common belief, female cows do not spontaneously produce milk. Like human mothers, cows lactate to feed their newborn offspring. In the wild, cows separate  themselves from the herd before giving birth and may hide their calves for several days afterwards.^[4] They develop a strong maternal bond with their calf after as little as 5 minutes of contact after birth.^[5]

Cows are extremely social animals who live in small herds, forming social hierarchies and friendship pairs.^[6] They groom each other by licking the head, neck and shoulder area and have preferred partners, grooming each other more, the longer they have known each other.^[7] Cows communicate with each other in a number of ways. Vocalisations or ‘calls’ can, for example, indicate excitement, frustration, interest, pleasure or stress. Calls may also be used to locate companions following separation.^[8] 

Cruel treatment  

Some examples of practices which dairy cows are lawfully subjected to include:

Premature separation from mothers  

Calves are usually separated from their mothers 12 -24 hours after their after birth.^[9] The emotional stress of early separation from their young, coupled with the physical pain caused by udder discomfort due to a lack of suckling, causes many cows to respond vocally. Later in life, male calves raised for veal have been known to exhibit abnormal social behaviours.^[10]

Slaughtered as babies

Male dairy calves (bobby calves) are either transported for slaughter in cramped conditions soon after birth or confined indoors for several months before being slaughtered as high quality ‘pink veal’.^[11] Bobby calves may also be lawfully deprived of food and water for up to 10 hours prior to transportation.^[12] Veal crates are not technically allowed in Australia; however, neither the legislation nor the Model Code of Practice for the Welfare of Animals – Cattle (the Cattle Code), (see below) prohibits the keeping of calves in solitary confinement provided they are able to see, hear and ‘preferably’ touch other animals.^[13]

Mutilations with no pain relief 

• Some bobby calves are selected for oestrus detection, which means they are used to determine if a cow is in heat and ready to begin her reproduction cycle.^[14] These calves are castrated before being allowed to mix with the herd.^[15] Castration is a painful procedure which can cause extreme stress and suffering.^[16] Due to the pain inflicted and the failure to provide anaesthetic or analgesia, calves undergoing the procedure are kept in physical restraints.^[17] Despite this, it is permissible under both the legislation and the Code.^[18]
  
• Disbudding involves removal of the horn bud on young calves whereas dehorning is the removal of the horn in older cows. Both of these procedures have been identified as the cause of substantial pain.^[19] For example, cows are generally dehorned using heat, knives or other sharp implements.^[20] As their horns contain blood vessels and nerve endings, the process inflicts acute pain, indicated by behavioural responses such as tail wagging, tripping, head shaking and ear flicking.^[21]
  
• Tail docking involves the removal of part of a cattle’s tail through the use of tight rubbering, a sharp knife or a heated docking iron. Tail docking can cause long lasting nerve damage and chronic pain and has also been identified as compromising welfare by increasing irritation from biting flies who are usually controlled by tail swatting.^[22] Despite the fact that tail docking is required to be carried out by veterinary surgeons in some jurisdictions,^[23] it is permitted under the Cattle Code.^[24] As at 2005 the procedure was still being carried out by approximately 35% of Australian dairy farmers, including many in Victoria which has the largest dairy herd.^[25]

Why the law is not on their side 

In Australia, there are State and Territory animal welfare laws that are intended to protect animals, but in reality, the fundamental interests of most farm animals, including dairy cows, are not protected in law. National Model Codes of Practice apply in addition to some animal welfare laws; however, these Codes also fail to provide true protection. The current Cattle Code is no exception and in fact is used to justify many of the practices that cause suffering to dairy cows as described above. Two aspects of the Code which are common to all jurisdictions are that it:

• is often used as a shield to justify the cruel treatment of cattle in the dairy industry. For example, if industry participants can establish that an activity complies with the Cattle Code or generally accepted husbandry methods, then criminal liability will rarely arise even though the practice may inflict considerable pain on the animal;^[26] and
• has provisions that prohibit ‘unnecessary suffering’,^[27] which by corollary implies that the suffering of cattle is a ‘necessary’ component of dairy production.

"A small group of thoughtful people can change the world. Indeed, it's the only thing that ever has."  Margaret Mead.

Together, we can make a difference  

• Write a letter to your local paper, go on talk-back radio or contact your local council. Share your concerns about the treatment of dairy cows. 
• Write a letter to your local Member of Parliament and to the Minister responsible for Animal Welfare in your State or Territory (see, how to write to your politicians). Ask them to outlaw the cruel practices in dairy cow farming or, at the very least, to introduce a proper labeling system that enables consumers to make animal-friendly choices at the supermarket. 
• Every time you go to a supermarket, fast-food outlet, restaurant or café, encourage them to consider the welfare of dairy cows by asking questions about where they purchase their milk and cheese.
• Replace dairy products with other delicious and healthy ingredients such as: soy products, rice milk, almond milk and oat milk. For more recipe ideas, click here. 
• If you eat dairy foods, try to cut down on the amount you eat.  
• Support an animal protection group financially or by volunteering your time, services or skills. Find out how to support Voiceless here.

Find out more about what you can do as a:

• business
• lawyer
• law student
• educator

Voiceless links 

In addition to the issues discussed above, Voiceless Director, Brian Sherman AM, has spoken out about the links between climate change and factory farming, noting “If you reduced your dairy intake by just 2 cups of milk per week, you would save 250kg of greenhouse pollution in a year.”  To read more, click here.

Recommended reading and resources  

For more information about Dairy Welfare Issues, follow this link to RSPCA Victoria's Dairy Animal Welfare Seminar.

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