Milk, once considered a must-have food that “does a body good,” has now been revealed as simply cruel and unnecessary. It’s bad for our health, for animals and for the planet, Jessica Scott-Reid writes.

There’s nothing healthy about the dairy industry. The end of milk is near

As dairy milk consumption in Canada steadily declines, the price of milk is now set to soar. Farmers say they are just trying to cover their increasing costs. On the other hand, the plant-based dairy alternatives market is booming, with Canadians buying up nearly $420 million worth of milk alternative beverages last year. The global market for dairy alternatives is set to reach over $55 billion by 2027. Consumer trends are shifting, and for good reason. Dairy milk no longer serves us as a society, and in fact has become a burden: upon our economy, our health, the animals, the planet.

Like so many Canadians, I grew up consuming dairy, believing it to be an essential food. I never considered where it came from, beyond the cow who obviously just made milk for people. But undercover footage from an organic dairy farm in B.C., recently obtained and published by Animal Justice, exposed what I learned later in life: cows don’t make milk for us, they make it for their babies. And as part of standard farming practices, those newborn calves must be removed from their mothers in order for that milk to be rerouted for human consumption. This is done despite, as the footage shows, causing mother cows obvious distress as their babies are hauled away in wheelbarrows.

Portions of the disturbing footage were also aired on CTV National News, showing mother cows being violently beaten in their faces and bodies with canes and wrenches.

There is nothing humane going on inside of Canadian factory farms, despite what wholesome industry marketing may tell you. And there is nothing economical about an industry being bolstered by billions of dollars of public funds, despite being done under the guise of “investment.”

There is also nothing environmentally sustainable about farming animals, especially methane-emitting cows, despite greenwashing campaigns attempting to convince us otherwise. A 2018 study estimated that dairy milk production emits three times more greenhouse gas emissions than the production of any plant-based milks. Dairy milk production also requires immensely more land and water than plant-based alternatives.

Thankfully, as the latest Canada Food Guide now tells us, dairy is not actually an essential food. Registered dietitian Pamela Fergusson says there is nothing unique in dairy that can’t be found in other plant-based foods, including protein, “and fortified plant-based milks are just as good of a source of calcium and vitamin D as dairy milks.” She also says that while we might think of steak or bacon as concerning sources of saturated fats, “dairy is actually our biggest source.” Health Canada recommends we limit our consumption of saturated fat because of potential increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

As the price of milk increases in Canada, so does public knowledge of all that is problematic with dairy. What was once considered a must-have food that “does a body good” has now been revealed as simply cruel and unnecessary. As the market makes clear, the end of milk is near. Thank goodness.

Jessica Scott-Reid is a writer and animal advocate. She is also a co-host of Canada’s animal law podcast, “Paw & Order.”

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