Knowledge is a Dangerous Thing: Inside the Meat and Dairy Industry
Ignorance is bliss. How can we be bothered by the troublesome world if we ignore that anything bad is happening at all? People commonly ignore bad things happening in other countries, defending this with the phrase ‘it’s not happening here’. But what about when the awful truth concerning the meat and dairy industry is referenced — something happening in this country.
Video streaming sites such as YouTube and Netflix has made the way of sharing information easier, faster and more accessible. Films such as Cowspiracy, What the Health and Dairy is Scary have become popular reference points for those discussing the effects of the meat and dairy industry (Fletcher). The ease with which these can be accessed means that education on the meat and dairy industries are not only for the elite and that they can easily be shared via social media websites — giving the films a wider audience.
With veganism rapidly increasing in popularity both within the UK and around the world, it seems as though the horror stories of the meat and dairy industries are reaching the right audiences. In the UK, vegans constitute 7% of the population — a 700% increase since 2016 (Webber). Globally, a vegan diet is considered to be one of the most popular diets adopted (Rahim). This plant-based movement has had knock on effects on dairy production, with predictions that there will be less than 5,000 dairy farms in the UK by 2026 — down from the 21,000 which existed 10 years ago (Monobiot).
Dairy cows are often kept in poor conditions while they are used for their milk. In the US, more than 90% of dairy cows are confined in primarily indoor environments. They are forcibly impregnated in order to produce milk and — once they give birth and have excess milk due to their babies being taken from them — they are forced to produce a total of 12 times more milk than they would naturally. Globally 21 million dairy cows are slaughtered each year in order to produce either veal or beef. In the US this equates to 3 million of the 9 million dairy cows slaughtered every year — often after only living a fraction of their natural lifespan (Capps).
Although the UK stands at 30th in the table of which countries consume the most meat globally, each UK resident consumes an average of 84.2kg of meat every year. In comparison to this, the US takes the top spot on the list, with each resident consuming 120.2kg of meat in the average year. Prior to 2009, meat consumption per person in the US annually stood at 124.8kg, showing a 4.6kg decrease. In many of the countries listed by The Telegraph as top meat eaters, meat consumption has seen declines in recent years (Smith).
Interestingly, the British public is often referred to as ‘a nation of animal lovers’ with 45% of households owning a pet of some description (Statista). Which animals are deemed acceptable to eat depends on the country and, to an extent, the religion. For example, The Yulin ‘Lychee and Dog Meat’ Festival is responsible for the death of between 10,000 and 15,000 dogs annually as, in various areas of southern China, dog meat is perceived as a traditional food (Hughes). Yet, in the UK dogs are exclusively regarded as pets — with 26% of households owning a dog (Statista) — meaning the festival is majorly criticised. Although cows are one of the most popular sources of meat in the UK, the slaughtering of cattle is prohibited in a number of Indian states due to the Hindu belief that cows are considered a holy animal (Biswas).
Although social media often showcases articles on why veganism is unhealthy, why bacon is good or why dairy is necessary in our diets, most of these articles are created with a bias, altering the context of certain facts or statistics to back up their views. A 2007 study showed that of 206 studies analysed, those which were sponsored entirely by food or drink companies were four to eight times more likely to portray the positive health effects of consuming their products (Moodie).
A few years ago it was reported that a study had found that chocolate milk helped with concussions after comparing football players who did and who did not drink it. This study was funded by the dairy industry, meaning the outcome would always appear that dairy products have a positive effect on people’s health — even if this is not the case. Similarly, a 2011 study funded by the National Cattlemen’s Beef Association found no connection between consuming red meat and bowel cancer despite many other studies, including one carried out by The World Health Organization, proving otherwise (Levin). The multiple links between the food industry and health studies mean that facts can be easily manipulated in order to fit an agenda.
Recently, advertisements for Swedish vegan milk brand Oatly have gained mass attention due to their honest approach to gain consumers attention. One print based advert reads ‘It’s like milk but made for humans’, playing on the idea that, as humans, there is no reason we should be drinking milk made for calves. The company have often been branded ‘controversial’ after they were sued by Sweden’s dairy industry for claiming that cow’s milk is unhealthy (Sann Wong). Their guilt trip tactic to increase sales is not one used widely in the alternative dairy and meat option industry with brands like Quorn focusing on its health benefits in its advertisements.
Of course, if simply being aware of the reality of these industries had that much of an effect on people, those working within the industries would have quit long ago. Therefore, it must not be the facts themselves which encourage people to change their views on otherwise traditional ways of living — such as the daily consumption of meat and dairy — but instead the shock factor of the news. On a number of occasions, pro-vegan stickers have been found on meat products within supermarkets with the aim of these to make meat eaters reconsider their purchase by shocking them. These have outraged many people, with a customer claiming she felt ‘emotionally blackmailed’ by the sticker which read ‘My name was Chloe. I wanted to live. Your “personal choice” killed me. DON’T BUY IT.’ accompanied by an image of a cow (BBC). This example reinforces the idea that, although the majority of us are happy to purchase and consume meat, we do not want reminding of where our food has come from.
The sharing of graphic images of the dairy industry are often seen to be scaremongering with those sharing them described as ‘preachy’ — a word which has become common to hear when vegans are mentioned. But why is the truthful portrayal of the meat and dairy industries such a taboo? If the images, facts and statistics are enough to make you feel guilty, perhaps you have something to feel guilty about.
References:
Biswas, Soutik. “The myth of the Indian vegetarian nation.” BBC, 4 April 2018, https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-india-43581122
Capps, Ashley. “10 Dairy Facts the Industry Doesn’t Want You to Know.” Free From Harm, 30 July 2014, https://freefromharm.org/dairyfacts/
Chiorando, Maria. “Major Advert For Vegan Milk Spotted On UK Television Online Platform 4oD.” Plant Based News, 23 October 2018, https://www.plantbasednews.org/post/major-advert-for-vegan-milk-spotted-on-uk-television-platform-4od
“Estimated pet population in the United Kingdom (UK) from 2009 to 2018** (in millions).” Statista, https://www.statista.com/statistics/308229/estimated-pet-population-in-the-united-kingdom-uk/
Fletcher, Harry. “The 10 films sure to turn meat-eaters vegan.” The Evening Standard, 19 January 2018, https://www.standard.co.uk/go/london/film/the-10-films-sure-to-turn-meateaters-vegan-a3743351.html
Hughes, Amani. “Yulin dog meat festival 2018: Why are animals tortured and eaten at Yulin dog festival?” Sunday Express, 22 June 2018, https://www.express.co.uk/news/world/977873/Yulin-dog-meat-festival-2018-why-are-animals-tortured-dog-meat
Levin, Susan. “How Big Meat and Dairy Fund Misleading Health Research to Fatten Their Wallets.” One Green Planet, 2015, https://www.onegreenplanet.org/natural-health/how-big-meat-and-dairy-fund-misleading-health-research-to-fatten-their-wallets/
Monbiot, George. “The best way to save the planet? Drop meat and dairy.” The Guardian, 8 June 2018, https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2018/jun/08/save-planet-meat-dairy-livestock-food-free-range-steak
Moodie, Alison. “Before you read another health study, check who’s funding the research.” The Guardian, 12 December 2016, https://www.theguardian.com/lifeandstyle/2016/dec/12/studies-health-nutrition-sugar-coca-cola-marion-nestle
Rahim, Lucy. “Six reasons to go vegan, according to science.” The Telegraph, 1 November 2018, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/health-fitness/body/six-reasons-go-vegan-according-science/
Sann Wong, Yoon. “Oatly’s Controversial Ad Campaign That Peeved Swedish Industry Arrives In UK.” Design Taxi, 19 October 2018, https://designtaxi.com/news.php?id=402013
Smith, Oliver. “Revealed: The world’s most vegetarian country.” The Telegraph, 26 March 2018, https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/maps-and-graphics/world-according-to-meat-consumption/
Webber, Jemima. “NUMBER OF VEGANS IN THE UK SURGES BY 700% IN JUST TWO YEARS.” Live Kindly, 1 April 2018, https://www.livekindly.co/number-of-vegans-in-the-uk-surges-by-700-in-just-two-years/
“‘Why I stick pro-vegan stickers on meat in supermarkets’.” BBC, 27 April 2017, http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/39733035/why-i-stick-pro-vegan-stickers-on-meat-in-supermarkets
