Mother's Day horror story
Announcement posted by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) Australia 11 May 2020
The Editor
Dear Editor,
This Sunday’s ABC Landline program—screened on television just in time for Mother’s Day lunch—presented some farming initiatives that were hard to swallow. The dairy industry has reached new depths in its pursuit of profit, by trying to sell us cows’ colostrum. This is, in their own words, “exactly what was intended from a mother to [her] offspring.”
Within a day of giving birth, a mother cow is separated from her baby, so that her colostrum, and her subsequently produced milk, can be sold to humans. All male calves—and about one quarter of female calves—are seen as surplus: a 'waste product'. They are removed from their mothers and are left hungry and scared for the five days they must be kept alive before they can be legally killed. These helpless, terrified calves then face a stressful ride to the slaughterhouse—where they are often kept overnight without food, bedding, or the warmth of their mother—before they are killed.
Compassionate consumers wanting a health boost might prefer to chew on the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that come with a fruit- and vegetable-rich diet suitable for humans, rather than colostrum intended to help a baby cow grow into a 450kg adult.
Mother’s Day should not be limited to one group of mothers. We can show that we respect the right for all mothers to nourish their babies, by going vegan. Visit PETA.org.au for more information.
Desmond Bellamy
Special Projects Coordinator
PETA Australia
PO Box 2352
Byron Bay NSW 2481
0411 577 416
DesmondB@PETA.org.au
Dear Editor,
This Sunday’s ABC Landline program—screened on television just in time for Mother’s Day lunch—presented some farming initiatives that were hard to swallow. The dairy industry has reached new depths in its pursuit of profit, by trying to sell us cows’ colostrum. This is, in their own words, “exactly what was intended from a mother to [her] offspring.”
Within a day of giving birth, a mother cow is separated from her baby, so that her colostrum, and her subsequently produced milk, can be sold to humans. All male calves—and about one quarter of female calves—are seen as surplus: a 'waste product'. They are removed from their mothers and are left hungry and scared for the five days they must be kept alive before they can be legally killed. These helpless, terrified calves then face a stressful ride to the slaughterhouse—where they are often kept overnight without food, bedding, or the warmth of their mother—before they are killed.
Compassionate consumers wanting a health boost might prefer to chew on the vitamins, minerals and antioxidants that come with a fruit- and vegetable-rich diet suitable for humans, rather than colostrum intended to help a baby cow grow into a 450kg adult.
Mother’s Day should not be limited to one group of mothers. We can show that we respect the right for all mothers to nourish their babies, by going vegan. Visit PETA.org.au for more information.
Desmond Bellamy
Special Projects Coordinator
PETA Australia
PO Box 2352
Byron Bay NSW 2481
0411 577 416
DesmondB@PETA.org.au