On the other hand, good on them for showing people what is a frankly pretty depressing practice. Didn’t watch, so can’t comment on how it was handled, but people should see the less pleasant side of farming as well – perhaps it might push for some animal welfare improvement if anyone knew…
It’s worrying this is news.
That said I grew up in the countryside. It’s not a nice thing but it’s something you knew happened.
Cows need young to produce milk which we make into a commercial product. Calves drinking said milk is profit going nowhere.
Pretty much every farm kids favourite job will have been teaching calves to drink formula from a bucket.
The screams are haunting though. Can’t deny there’s sentience there and that they really want their kids back.
If this bothers people then wait till they find out about the hammer to the head newborn dairy bulls get.
They’ve no use commercially unless the farmer is willing to put the time and money into raising them as rosé veal which has much better welfare standards now than in the 80’s.
If you want to save male dairy calves eat more of it.
If you want to end the cycle then stop drinking milk.
Sounds like people are pissed cos they didn’t whitewash it with some idyllic notion of the countryside
“Viewers upset that reality of the nicely packaged products they consume at Sainsburies or Marksies actually involves living animals being treated in ways that make them unhappy”. Sounds like the typical countryfile viewer to me.
Man people don’t really think about where stuff comes from do they? Wait till they find out how their phone or shoes were made with child slave labour….. probably anyway.
This’ll be why i’ts known as Townyfile in farming circles, and why Clarksons Farm was so revered
6 comments
On the other hand, good on them for showing people what is a frankly pretty depressing practice. Didn’t watch, so can’t comment on how it was handled, but people should see the less pleasant side of farming as well – perhaps it might push for some animal welfare improvement if anyone knew…
It’s worrying this is news.
That said I grew up in the countryside. It’s not a nice thing but it’s something you knew happened.
Cows need young to produce milk which we make into a commercial product. Calves drinking said milk is profit going nowhere.
Pretty much every farm kids favourite job will have been teaching calves to drink formula from a bucket.
The screams are haunting though. Can’t deny there’s sentience there and that they really want their kids back.
If this bothers people then wait till they find out about the hammer to the head newborn dairy bulls get.
They’ve no use commercially unless the farmer is willing to put the time and money into raising them as rosé veal which has much better welfare standards now than in the 80’s.
If you want to save male dairy calves eat more of it.
If you want to end the cycle then stop drinking milk.
Sounds like people are pissed cos they didn’t whitewash it with some idyllic notion of the countryside
“Viewers upset that reality of the nicely packaged products they consume at Sainsburies or Marksies actually involves living animals being treated in ways that make them unhappy”. Sounds like the typical countryfile viewer to me.
Man people don’t really think about where stuff comes from do they? Wait till they find out how their phone or shoes were made with child slave labour….. probably anyway.
This’ll be why i’ts known as Townyfile in farming circles, and why Clarksons Farm was so revered