Eyes on Animals organized a meeting between the person in charge of the dairy selection at Marqt supermarket chain and a very caring dairy farmer that we know that keeps the calves with their mothers in the herd for at least 2 months and uses gradual weaning. Today the meeting took place.
We met at Marqt headquarters where the Marqt Dairy Chief tasted the cheeses this farmer makes and discussed with him how he runs the farm. After many years of stimulating the dairy industry to keep the calves in the herd and for these more ethical dairy products to be separately labeled and available on the supermarket shelves, it seems like we are one step closer to victory !
We support the vegan diet, but as long as dairy remains a popular product, we see it is vital to change the dairy industry from within. Keeping calves in the herd until they are at least more independent ruminants with fully developed immune systems is a much more ethical alternative to the current situation in which calves born on dairy farms are separated right after birth and at 2 weeks of age (still dependent on milk and with fragile immune systems) most are loaded onto trucks for livestock markets, barren veal farms and even long distance journeys abroad.
