UK Dairy Day
It’s ‘Dairy Day’ in the UK, and an exhibition to celebrate this cruel and unnecessary industry is taking place in Shropshire, where cows with painful overfilled udders will be corralled into a pen, poked and prodded while their stolen milk is put on display.
Today, we choose to celebrate our eight amazing residents who were saved from a life of exploitation and eventual slaughter in this industry’s name.
We have our Jersey duo Mo and Ella, Surge Sanctuary’s first ever cows! After suffering a life of forced insemination, repeated pregnancy and separation from their babies, Mo and Ella’s exhausted bodies could not conceive anymore, and so the date of their murder was set for the 8th of February, 2021. But thankfully, their last day on earth became the first day of their new lives, as they were redirected here to us.
Beautiful Mo and Ella in Spring this year. Photo: Tom Woolard.
We also have Paul and Roo, who were only one week old when they came to live with us. They were both male calves who were due to be shot dead just because they cannot produce milk like their mothers. It is unfathomable that these sweet, playful boys who we adore so much were going to be disposed of like a piece of litter.
Paul and Roo as babies. Photo: Tom Woolard.
Goats are also exploited for milk and cheese. Karen and Katy (mother and daughter) were being used for dairy and had also been attacked by dogs and locked up in a stable before they came to us. Karen especially was very poorly and has a permanent limp as a result of past trauma. Originally, the plan was to rehabilitate and rehome them together, but we totally fell in love with these ladies and decided to make Surge their forever home. We are so glad this mother and daughter get to share life together, unlike so many others like them.
Karen and Katy looking so alike! Photo: Tom Woolard.
Last but not least we have Mike and Brian, who - like Paul and Roo - were deemed worthless by the dairy industry because of their sex and were going to be killed. We bonded with them instantly and even bottle fed them after they were forced away from their mothers. They are total troublemakers at the sanctuary, and we wouldn't have it any other way. Mike and Brian’s lives were almost taken from them because humans wanted to eat and drink their mother’s milk - where did we go so wrong?
Cheeky chaps Mike and Brian. Photo: Tom Woolard.
We will never progress far as a society while we continue to put taste and profit over life. All animals' lives (be it cow, goat, or human) have inherent value independent of their usefulness to human economies.
With widely available milk and cheese alternatives like oat milk, Applewood smoked vegan cheese, Violife vegan feta, and Cathedral City’s new vegan cheddar, there really is no excuse for animal abuse. Please go vegan to save more animals like Mo, Ella, Paul, Roo, Karen, Katy, Mike and Brian.
Devon Docherty is a Surge writer and animal rights activist with a master’s degree in Human-Animal Interactions. Connect with Devon on LinkedIn.