Dear Editor,
Last week, The Washington Post published a major expose of the U.S. dairy industry concluding that mega dairies scam consumers into paying extra for “organic” milk that isn’t. The timing, a few days before Mother’s Day, is appropriate. Dairy cows, worldwide symbols of motherhood, never get to see or nurture their babies.
The newborn calves are torn from their mothers at birth and turned into veal cutlets. The distraught mothers bellow for days, hoping in vain for their babies’ return. Instead, they are milked by machines, then impregnated artificially to keep the milk flowing. When their production drops, around 4 years of age, they are ground into hamburgers.
This Mother’s Day, let’s all honor motherhood and our natural compassion for animals by rejecting the dairy industry’s cruelty. Let’s choose healthful, cruelty-free foods offered at our grocery store, instead.
Mario Vincelette, Rutland
