vegansofig:

Few people understand how their purchase of milk is connected to the veal industry, when in fact, veal is a by-product of the dairy industry. For female cows to produce milk, they are kept in a constant cycle of being pregnant and giving birth. While pregnant and shortly thereafter, a cow’s body is producing the hormones necessary to maximize milk production.

What happens to all those baby cows? Male calves are useless for milk production and are a different breed of cattle from the ones raised for beef. Dairy cows, female and male, lack the musculature necessary to maximize profits for beef producers. About half of the female calves will become dairy cows, to replace their mothers. The other half of the females are useless to the dairy industry. So, usually on the day they are born, nearly all of the male calves and half of the female calves are taken from their mothers, to be turned into veal.

Calves raised for veal are forced to spend their short lives in individual crates that are no more than 30 inches wide and 72 inches long. See the crates in the top image? Looks like a graveyard, huh? It’s a veal farm…These crates are designed to prohibit exercise and normal muscle growth in order to produce tender “gourmet” veal. The calves are fed a milk substitute that is purposely low in iron so that they will become anemic and their flesh will stay pale.

After enduring 12 to 23 weeks in these conditions, these young animals—many of whom can barely walk because of sickness or muscle atrophy—are crowded into metal trucks for transport to the slaughterhouse. This is one of the many reasons I went vegan. Dairy= veal. #vegansofig

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