About Our Investigation
Viva!'s Cadbury Investigation
'A Calf and a Half'
Viva!’s three month investigation in 2011 reveals the shocking reality of how the milk for our dairy foods is produced for one of Britain's top confectionary brands....
During the investigation we witnessed:
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The shooting of a young male calf – and discussions about shooting males on a number of farms -
Dairy cows giving birth – a ‘jack’ is sometimes used to pull the calves out -
The separation of mother and calf – and the subsequent calling of both -
Calves in pens – destined for veal, pet food, or to be shot -
Zero grazing -
Huge udders producing 39 litres a day -
Illness – mastitis, lameness and milk fever -
Fertility monitoring
The Shooting of theCalfA beautiful little calf just a few days old bellows incessantly from a stone shed. He is as perfect as could be – perfectly formed, perfectly healthy. He is distraught because he has just been separated from his mother and is bewildered and frightened. “He won’t be shouting much longer,” says a boiler-suited farmer as a land rover growls up the track into the farm, towing a high-sided trailer.“Come on then,” he says opening the gate and ushering the little creature towards the trailer. The teetering, young calf doesn’t quite know which way to go and needs urging - but his legs give up on him and he falls over. The tailgate of the trailer is down revealing a half-full mosaic of black and white, a pattern that quickly resolves itself into individual shapes – a large cow and several calves. All are dead. The driver picks up the calf and places him on top of the pile of corpses, climbing up after him, taking a revolver from his pocket as he does so. He holds the calf’s back while they both try to balance on the pliable bodies beneath their feet and then levels the revolver at the animal’s head: “For God’s sake keep still,” he says with irritation. BANG! And the tiny creature collapses in a heap, his life extinguished just like the lives of over 100,000 other male calves across Britain each year. The man climbs down, smiling at the farmer, desensitised by constant repetition of the task. This man is from the local hunt A notice on the side of the trailer completes the story. “Not for human consumption,” it says, “For feeding to hounds.” Royal hounds, as it happens, as this load of dead dairy animals is destined for the Beaufort hunt, patronised by Prince Charles, his wife Camilla and Prince William. |
Why was he shot?Male dairy calves are by-products of the dairy industry. Just like us, cows have to give birth to produce milk. Female calves go on to become milk machines, replacing worn out mothers, but males are useless for dairying. This is why this Cadbury calf has just been shot. |
Being DairyFreeIf you disagree with the inherent cruelty the dairy industry inflicts on cows then go dairy free! Its easy, healthy and tasty. You can still have chocolate, cake, yogurt, cream, milk and cheese alternatives!
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DonatePlease help fund our undercover investigations to expose modern farming practices and help end animal suffering. |
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