Drop Dairy

The Facts

Cows, like humans and all other mammals, only produce milk for their young. This means that they must give birth before they can be milked. To the dairy industry, their calves are seen as competitors for the milk and thus, are separated from their mothers often within 24 hours of birth.

A dairy cow will give birth after a nine-month pregnancy and within 24 hours, her baby will be stolen from her. The mothers are left distressed and the babies can be heard calling for their mother. Two of our exposés captured the separation process, where mothers are seen chasing after their babies. According to studies, a dairy cow can remember the exact sound of the truck that took her baby away. This will happen to her every year until her body breaks down from the process and reproduction slows. While some dairy cows can endure this for up to ten years, most are considered “spent” and are slaughtered by the age of five.

Approximately two thirds of the female calves are kept to replace spent dairy cows, and some males and females are also raised for veal or beef. The remaining, equating to approximately 400,000 every year, are slaughtered at just 5 days old.

In Australia, it is also legal for farmers to kill newborn calves under 24 hours old, with blunt force trauma or a captive bolt gun.