As a Vegan, False Cow Advertising is Sickening.
I have recently become angered at the amounts of adverts showing cows partying and enjoying producing dairy products. These advertisments are designed to trick the general public especially children into thinking cows enjoy being farmed.
The Anchor Butter advert showing cows allegedly clocking into work accompanied by a cover of Guns and Roses ‘Paradise City’ is sickening when in reality cows do not choose to be farmed or milked and they certainly do not have a choice when to clock into work! These cows probably do not know if the ‘grass is green’ as they probably never see the light of day.
There is also a horrible Müller Dairy advert for ‘Müller Corners’ showing a dairy cow having a wish granted to be a horse when in reality the poor Müller Cows would probably rather they were free from the dairy imprisonment. In my opinion the dairy industry use these adverts in order to trick viewers into thinking;
1) Cows enjoy being farmed when in reality they are cruelly treated.
‘Cows produce milk for the same reason that humans do: to nourish their young. In order to force the animals to continue giving milk, factory farm operators typically impregnate them using artificial insemination every year. Calves are generally taken from their mothers within a day of being born—males are destined for veal crates or barren lots where they will be fattened for beef, and females are sentenced to the same fate as their mothers.
After their calves are taken from them, mother cows are hooked up, several times a day, to milking machines. Using genetic manipulation, powerful hormones, and intensive milking, factory farmers force cows to produce about 10 times as much milk as they would naturally.
Animals are often dosed with bovine growth hormone (BGH), which contributes to a painful inflammation of the udder known as “mastitis.” (BGH is used widely in the U.S. but has been banned in Europe and Canada because of concerns over human health and animal welfare.) According to the industry’s own figures, between 30 and 50 percent of dairy cows suffer from mastitis, an extremely painful condition.
A cow’s natural lifespan is about 25 years, but cows used by the dairy industry are killed after only four or five years. An industry study reports that by the time they are killed, nearly 40 percent of dairy cows are lame because of the intensive confinement, the filth, and the strain of being almost constantly pregnant and giving milk. Dairy cows’ bodies are turned into soup, companion animal food, or low-grade hamburger meat because their bodies are too “spent” to be used for anything else.’
Full article available at: www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/dairy-industry.aspx
2) Dairy products are good for you when in reality they are not. Animal Aid comment on the ‘Milk Myth” and state the following; ‘A substantial body of scientific evidence shows the link between bone health and dairy product consumption is weak. In fact to build strong bones and healthy bodies, children need exercise, sunshine, and a diet rich in fruits and vegetables. There is no nutritional requirement for dairy products, in fact there are serious problems that can result from the proteins, sugar and fat in milk products. Milk contains significant amounts of saturated fat, as well as cholesterol, which can lead to obesity and contribute to heart disease and certain forms of cancer. Although we do need a certain amount of fat in our diets, saturated fat is the wrong kind, and cows’ milk is low in the good essential fatty acids that we do need.’
Full article available at: www.animalaid.org.uk
Please do not encourage this animal cruelty by consuming dairy products.