{"id":117604,"date":"2021-07-26T17:42:39","date_gmt":"2021-07-26T16:42:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/veganuary.com\/is-goat-milk-better-than-cow-milk\/"},"modified":"2023-06-27T20:50:25","modified_gmt":"2023-06-27T19:50:25","slug":"is-goat-milk-better-than-cow-milk","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/veganuary.com\/en-za\/is-goat-milk-better-than-cow-milk\/","title":{"rendered":"What\u2019s Wrong with Goat Milk?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Is goat milk better than cow milk? The two industries are more similar than you think<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n

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Image Credit: Unsplash<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

It\u2019s surprisingly common for people who learn about the darker side of dairy<\/a> to consider a switch to goats\u2019 milk in the belief that the trade is kinder to goats than it is to cows. But the two industries work in the exact same way, and the same horrors are evident in both. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is the lowdown on why choosing plant milk over goats\u2019 milk is always the kindest option.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Milk is Made for Babies<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Whether we choose cows\u2019, goats\u2019 or sheep\u2019s milk, we are drinking the breast milk made by a mum for her young. To stop the newborn kids drinking their mothers\u2019 valuable milk, they are taken away soon after birth. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Some may be reared for their meat, others, if they are female, may join the dairy herd, but if no profit can be made from them, they are simply shot in the head. Some farms have even disposed of the babies\u2019 bodies at hunt kennels<\/a> where they are fed to the hounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Legal Mutilations<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are several mutilations conducted on animals to make life easier for farmers, and this includes the disbudding of goats – the removal of their horns before they are fully grown. The British Veterinary Association<\/a> warns that the process is not only stressful, but it can also cause acute pain from tissue damage, as well as long-term pain arising from nerve damage. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The BVA says: \u201cThere is extensive evidence that disbudding is associated with pain and distress.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As for giving pain relief that is not a simple matter in goats. It needs to effectively block four different nerves, compared to only two in calves, and this means there is a real risk of a \u201ctoxic local anaesthetic overdose<\/a>\u201d to young kids.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Zero Grazing<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Most goat milk farms in the UK are zero grazing, which means the animals are kept inside all year round, and never let outside to roam, browse, climb and explore. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is simpler for farmers to keep goats all in one place than to round them up and bring them in each day for milking. Instead, these inquisitive and fun-loving individuals are locked in a shed, and their food is brought to them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s a pretty miserable existence for animals who know how to wring every drop of joy out of life, if only they are given the chance.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Check out a typical day at Goats of Anarchy and see how these amazing animals deserve to be treated.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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\"TypicalTypical Day at a GOAT SANCTUARY<\/span>