PETA makes plea to Ben & Jerry's

[Bigjim68]

Quote:

Originally Posted by sattie That is correct... and then yanking the calves from their mothers. Then there are the milking machines that do cause damage to the udders over time. That is what my comment was about on having stricter guidelines.

Now you have me confused. My grandad milked a cow for years, and never had a bull near the pasture, nor did we eat a lot of veal. Don't cows produce milk as long as they are not allowed to dry up? Never seen a dairy farm that produced veal as a sideline. Why would a business use a milking machine that would cause damage to their "cash cow"? Seems counter productive to me.

[sattie]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bigjim68 Now you have me confused. My grandad milked a cow for years, and never had a bull near the pasture, nor did we eat a lot of veal. Don't cows produce milk as long as they are not allowed to dry up? Never seen a dairy farm that produced veal as a sideline. Why would a business use a milking machine that would cause damage to their "cash cow"? Seems counter productive to me.

I'm not a farmer, not an expert either. Recent news about dairy cows has brought the practice to light. There was also a show or something I watched recently where undercover cameras were taken into to dairy plants and it had footage of what was happening at those places.

Dumb me always had mental pictures in my head of years past where you had a farmer sitting on a stool with a bucket underneath hand milking a cow. In the mass production/demand and profit of any food sources, it is really hard to take in (at least for me) the corners that are cut to make a profit.

Anywho... I really did not intend for this thread to be deviated from the actual topic. I just would like to see some better practices put in place in the handeling of all animals used for food. That is my take/opinion on it all based on the knowledge that I have.

[JohnL]

O Kayyyyyyyyyy,
Um. No thatnks........

[JohnL]

Sorry,
1st post wasn't very clear. No thanks, I really don't want Ben and Jerry to do the switch.

[jabbur]

Quote:

Originally Posted by JohnL Sorry, 1st post wasn't very clear. No thanks, I really don't want Ben and Jerry to do the switch.

Don't worry John. They won't be going that direction with their product! You can still enjoy your Chunky Monkey (or whatever your fave flavor is).

[DramaQueen]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Andy M. Dave and DQ, the issue isn't not milking a lactating cow, it's that they repeatedly impregnate milk cows so they will continue to give milk. Not my POV, theirs.

Seems to me that cows can propagate pretty much on their own. However, by the same token, they impregnate pigs so that they produce more pigs, same with chickens, sheep and all the other animals that are produced so that we, at the top of the food chain, can have meat to eat.

So how does PITA expect women to lactate? We aren't supposed to breed cows but we can breed women? The whole idea of using human breast milk is offensive to me. And their reasoning is even more offensive.

[Sparkly77]

I am a breastfeeding mum, and I am very pro breastfeeding for my son, but there are a few problems with the idea of donated breastmilk for icecream:

1. The health of the mothers would have to be screened

2. I have tasted my own milk, and it is quite sweet, but I'm not sure an icecream made from it would be any good

3. Just when do they think a mother will have TIME to express the milk????? As a mum there is enough to do without sitting there expressing milk for an icecream manufacturer to use.

Plus I don't really think that milking cows is cruel. My DH grew up on a dairy farm in New Zealand and I don't know what it is like in the US, but in NZ the cows have it pretty good and I doubt that they would be stressed out by the milking process.

My FIL was an unusual farmer because he actually used to keep the calves with their mothers, so they could still feed off them when not milking, but DH didn't know of other farmers doing this.

[vyapti]

Maybe PETA doesn't really want Ben & Jerry's to use human breast milk at all. Maybe they want to publicize a point that is important to their members: that the dairy industry is not beneficial to cows. I don't read minds well, but I'm guessing its the latter.

[Maverick2272]

One word: ewwwwwwww

Man is PETA outta touch with reality these days... I wonder sometimes if they are on the same planet as us....

[JoeV]

Quote:

Originally Posted by Maverick2272 Man is PETA outta touch with reality these days... I wonder sometimes if they are on the same planet as us....

Put your mind to rest...they are NOT on the same planet as us. Many of PETA's followers are hypocrites who wear leather products (shoes, belts, suede coats, purses, laces on their mountain shoes, etc.), eat burgers from fast food joints with their little crumb snatchers in tow (who also wear $100 tennies made with leather from skins of cows and also wearing hiking boots with leather laces), wear 100% wool sweaters while eating tasty lamb chops, then go off to carry a sign protesting cruelty to the udders of a milk cow. Give me a break. These are people lacking in knowledge of the ways of the world, and represent a tiny portion of our population. Unfortunately, the people who determine what is newsworthy and what is not, make the decision to promote the ways of the wackos from the far left instead of the good things that occur every day in this country.

I Digress...