How would you feel being cramped up with others in a small dark space, surrounded by filth and your own excretions? How would you feel being tortured and beaten when you don't comply or want to be caged up? How would you feel being artificially inseminated (raped) with sperm to force a pregnancy? And then, the most painful, how would you feel, having your baby snatched away from you, right after it's born, to go through the same fate as you, or to be sent to the meat industry to be killed for veal? Tell me please, how would you feel? Put yourself in the shoes (or hooves) of a cow, and ask yourself, would you want the same done to you? And if your answer is no (which I'm sure everyone would say no), then why do you pay to support this heinous violation of a fellow female's body? Sadly, the dairy industry is not at all like the pictures of pretty farms and happy cows that they use for their advertising. I think it’s incredibly important that if we decide to consume something, that we understand where it comes from and what direct ramifications our actions have. Female cows are forcibly and repeatedly made pregnant, their bodies constantly in pain and constantly working to produce milk FOR ITS BABY, which humans then take for ourselves. Cow milk is meant for baby cows. Human milk is meant for baby humans. We humans are the ONLY species to continue drinking the milk of another species after weaning, and believe it or not, milk actually strips your bones off calcium because it creates such an acidity in your body that it has to use minerals from your bones to neutralize your PH blood level. The breastmilk is designed to grow a calf as large and as rapidly as possible. Not to mention, all the hormones (which actually cause humans to be addicted to milk but which are supposed to create a bond between the mother and her calf), pus, bacteria and lots of nasty stuff you don't actually want in your body. Milk has been linked to cancer, acne and a bajillion other diseases and health problems. We force cows to be pregnant, carry a child, give birth, and then snatch it away immediately because we make a profit from exploiting their bodies. Both mothers and children are subjected to force, punching, kicking, hitting, clipping, un-anaesthetised cutting and mutilation. Whilst cows can live up to 20 years untouched by humans, male cows are usually slaughtered before the age of 3, and females by 5 or 6. Some that are rendered useless, are murdered within a week of being born. The mother, meanwhile, had already formed a strong maternal bond with their baby (just like we do) and is then left frantic and traumatized. Lastly, along with the meat industry, dairy factory farming contributes to an incredible amount (I believe around 40%) of our total greenhouse gas emissions. Get this - it takes FOUR THOUSAND glasses of water to produce just ONE glass of milk. We are literally destroying our own home planet in order to pay for cruelty and to drink a substance that slowly makes us sick. That just doesn’t sit right with me. I hope this doesn’t come across as a personal attack, I am very passionate about this injustice that occurs everyday but I personally was entirely unaware of it not long ago and do not judge anyone else who is unaware. I think taking the opportunity to ask questions is really helpful and progressive for our society. To conclude: I do not drink cow’s milk because it is not humane, healthy, necessary or sustainable. Choose compassion. 🐄🐮