FOUR PAWS: “Turbo cows”, tethering and transport of male calves are major problems
Vienna (OTS) – June 1st is World Milk Day. This is traditionally used in Austria to promote milk as a food and economic factor. It is praised not only as a supplier of important nutrients, but also for its contribution to security of supply and its role as an export hit. However, FOUR PAWS points out the dark side of “white gold”. There are serious animal welfare problems behind milk production, such as the breeding of cattle to become “turbo cows”, the still common practice of tethering and the export of male calves as a by-product of the dairy industry.
“Many people do not realise that dairy cows do not give milk all the time, but only after they have given birth to a calf. But because we humans claim this milk for ourselves, the calves are taken away from their mothers after just a few hours or days – an incredible stress for the animals. Cows often call for their children for days,” says FOUR PAWS campaign manager Veronika Weissenböck.
In order to increase the milk yield of cows, they are not only inseminated as quickly as possible, they are also bred to become veritable “turbo cows”. The development over the last few decades is frightening: In 1950, the average cow produced just under 3,000 kg of milk per year worldwide. In 2023, it was just under 8,000 kg. In Austria, the average milk yield is 7,200 liters. In this country, too, the trend is towards the highest possible milk yield, although 80 percent of the cattle kept are of the “Fleckvieh” breed, which both produce milk and put on meat and are therefore less highly bred than pure dairy breeds.
Weissenböck: “High-performance breeding leads to serious health problems. In Austria, a dairy cow is now taken to the slaughterhouse at the average age of seven – even though a cow is only fully grown at the age of five and the natural life expectancy of cattle is actually around 20 years. The animals suffer from life-threatening metabolic disorders and painful mastitis. The highly concentrated feeding also leads to severe over-acidification of the rumen and painful hoof diseases in many of them.”
Another huge problem: the still very widespread practice of tethered housing. According to Statistics Austria’s 2020 Agricultural Structure Survey, cattle are tethered in 13,354 of Austria’s 24,219 milk-producing farms, some of them 365 days a year. Although this permanent tethering will be banned from 2030, it will still be permitted for nine out of twelve months. “It is very positive to see that many farmers let their cows out to pasture in the summer months. But if they are tied up in the barn the rest of the time, that is simply unacceptable,” says Weissenböck.
A particularly cruel side effect of breeding high-performance cattle: the male calves of dairy breeds do not gain much weight or muscle mass in their youth and are therefore hardly worth anything on the meat market. Many are therefore sold to Italy, Poland or Germany, where they are fattened under conditions that are often in breach of animal welfare. “How sick this system is is shown by the fact that the meat from these calves often ends up in restaurants in Austria and thus on our plates,” says Weissenböck.
Calves can be transported as early as three weeks old. Since they are still dependent on their mother’s milk at this age and are in the so-called “immunological gap”, they often become ill. Many do not survive the transport. Weissenböck says: “It is heartbreaking: the calves are crammed together in transporters, suffering from hunger and thirst because they cannot use the drinking devices in the vehicles. In summer, there is also the heat.”
Initiatives that promote the fattening of male calves in Austria are a step in the right direction for FOUR PAWS. “But unfortunately that is still not enough. There must be a complete system change in agriculture and milk production. We as a society must ask ourselves: Do we really want to treat sentient beings like this – just to consume as many animal products as possible, such as milk, as cheaply as possible?” says Weissenböck.
FOUR PAWS’ demands for World Milk Day:
- Mother or wet nurse cow husbandry or cow-bound calf rearing – the separation of a calf from its mother should be prohibited or at least made easier by the use of nursing wet nurses
- Complete ban on tethering animals and keeping them on fully slatted floors
- Lower milk yield and longer calving intervals, as this has a very positive effect on the health and well-being of the animals
- A shift away from high-performance breeds back to dual-purpose breeds and away from breeding for performance towards longevity
- Better financial support for farmers who switch to more animal-friendly farming systems – animal welfare must be taken into account in EU legislation and the subsidies issued
Inquiries & Contact:
Mag. Elisabeth Penz
Press Office Austria
FOUR PAWS – Foundation for Animal Welfare
Linke Wienzeile 236, 1150 Vienna
Tel: + 43 (0)1 895 02 02 – 66
Fax: + 43 (0)1 895 02 02 – 99
Mobil: + 43 (0)664 3086303
elisabeth.penz@vier-pfoten.org
www.vier-pfoten.at www.vier-pfoten.org
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