DAIRY BAD
YOU DON'T DRINK MILK? NO, OF COURSE NOT I WAS WEANED TWENTY THREE YEARS AGO, YOU DON'T EXPECT MY MOTHER TO STILL BE PRODUCING MILK DO YOU?, I EAT OTHER THINGS AS AN ADULT, WE FOLLOW THE FARMER ON THROUGH THE DARKENED SHED, HE EXPLAINS THAT DARKNES HELPS KEEP THE CALVES QUIET, THE HORRIBLE TWILIGHT OF THE SHED, THE AIR HANGING HEAVY INSIDE ME, HUNDREDS OF CALVES CRATED IN ROWS UPON ROWS OF WOODEN STALLS, THEIR EYES FOLLOW OUR MOVEMENTS, SOME APPEAR JITTERY, OTHERS LETHARGIC, MANY TRY TO STRETCH TOWARDS US FROM THEIR STALLS, AN ATTEMPT TO SUCKLE A FINGER, A HAND OR PART OF CLOTHING, THE FARMER EXPLAINS THAT THEY WANTED THEIR MOTHERS, HE GUESSED,
NO, I MEAN COWS' MILK, YOU DON'T DRINK COWS' MILK? GOODNESS NO, WHY WOULD I DRINK COWS' MILK?, THAT'S FOR CALVES YES, THAT IS FOR THE CALF, THE NORMAL CALF, WHO RAISED WITH ITS MOTHER, BEGINS TO NIBBLE GRASS OR OTHER ROUGHAGE AT AN EARLY AGE, BUT DEPRIVED OF SOLID FOOD TO EAT,
VEAL CALVES IN CRATES, ENGAGE IN VARIOUS PURPOSELESS ORAL ACTIVITIES, CRATE LICKING, TONGUE ROLLING, OR IF THEY GET A CHANCE, SUCKING ON EACH OTHER'S MOUTHS, OR TONGUES, PERHAPS WHILE YOU SUCK ICECREAM FROM A CONE, OR LICK OUT THE MOCK CREAM OF A STALE FINGER BUN, MEANWHILE, BACK AT THE FARM, TONGUE TOUCHING CONSIDERED UNHYGIENIC, CALVES ARE DENIED ANY PHYSICAL CONTACT, WHILE YOU FEEL NAUGHTY FOR EATING CHOCOLATE, THEY ARE MUZZLED, SO THAT THEY CAN DO NOTHING WITH THEIR MOUTHS, OTHER THAN SUCK MILK REPLACERS FROM BUCKETS,
THE CALF THAT WILL NEVER KNOW LIFE, BEYOND THIS INCREDIBLY CRAMPED STALL, UNTIL IT IS FINALLY SLAUGHTERED, NOTE THE HARD WOODEN SLATS WITHOUT STRAW TO LIE ON, NOTE THAT THE CALF CANNOT EVEN STRETCH OUT ITS LEGS WHILE LYING DOWN, CANNOT GROOM ITSELF PROPERLY, CANNOT ADOPT A NORMAL SLEEPING POSITION, OR EVEN STAND UP, OR LIE DOWN WITHOUT DIFFICULTY, ONE DAY YES GENETICALLY ENGINEERED CALVES WITHOUT LEGS, BUT WHILE THIS IS CONSIDERED ON ETHICS COMMITTEES, TO DECIDE UPON THE LONGNESS OF THE RUMP, THE SHORTNESS OF THE LEGS, THE CALF MUST NOT BE ALLOWED TO MOVE, IT MUST BE SEEN THAT THE ANIMALS, IN FACT ALL ANIMALS, MOVE AS LITTLE AS POSSIBLE DURING THEIR BRIEF LIFETIMES, WHICH SHOULDN'T BE DIFFICULT,
BUT I COULDN'T GIVE UP MILK, WELL, WOULD YOU PREFER CALVES TO BE RAISED IN VEAL CRATES, ON TWO FEEDINGS DAILY OF LIQUID MILK REPLACERS, WITH A DEFICIENCY IN IRON, TO PROMOTE THE PALE FLESH DESIRED BY VEAL CALF MANUFACTURERS, VEAL 'GROWERS' AND SOME CHEFS, WHILE YOU SUCK THEIR MOTHERS' UDDERS DRY WITH BIG CUSTARD TEETH?, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THE CALVES WITH AN ANAEMIC CONDITION?, WHAT DO YOU THINK ABOUT THIS?, PHYSIOLOGICALLY THIS TYPE OF NUTRITION RESULTS IN MARKED STRESS TO THE CALVES, AT TEN WEEKS OF AGE, YES, ONLY TEN WEEKS, THE CALF IS ANAEMIC, DECREASED ENERGY UTILISATION, DECREASED RESISTANCE TO DISEASE, DECREASED GROWTH RATE AND EVENTUALLY DEATH, WHICH IS GREAT DON'T YOU THINK?, BY TEN WEEKS A CALF BEING RIPPED APART ON A DINNER PLATE IN A RESTAURANT, DEAD, THANK GOD, ALTHOUGH CUSTOMERS WOULD PROBABLY PREFER IT, IF IT STILL TWITCHED A BIT, AS THEY SWALLOWED IT, WHAT DO YOU THINK?,
I THINK THAT CALVES ARE ACTIVE AND PLAYFUL ANIMALS, WHO LICK AND GROOM THEMSELVES, SHOW CURIOSITY ABOUT THEIR ENVIRONMENT, AND ARE SOCIABLE, HAS ANYBODY EVER TOLD YOU ABOUT WHAT CALVES DO?, AS OPPOSED TO THE LION, KANGAROO, ANTELOPE, FLAMINGO, ECHIDNA, WATER BUFFALO?, DO YOU KNOW ABOUT CALVES? THAT THEY HAVE A LIFE AS WE DO? TO PUT IT BLUNTLY, THEY NEED THEIR MOTHERS' MILK, YOU DON'T, YES, BUT I LIKE THE TASTE OF IT - WHEN SHORTLY AFTER BIRTH, MOST DAIRY CALVES ARE ABRUPTLY SEPARATED FROM THEIR MOTHERS, WHEN A LARGE NUMBER OF BULL CALVES ARE SOLD TO BUYERS, TO MEATPACKERS, TO FLESHHACKERS, WHO WILL SLAUGHTER THE CALVES IMMEDATELY,
BUT I DO LIKE THE TASTE OF IT, COME TO THINK OF IT, THAT'S THE ONLY REASON WHY I DRINK IT - CALVES TREMBLING MOTHERLESS IN DARKENED SHEDS,
BOXED IN NARROW STALLS OR PACKED IN PENS, SO THAT THEY CAN HARDLY MOVE, SARDINES AT LEAST HAVING THE PRIVILEGE OF SUFFOCATION, BEFORE THEIR BODIES ROT TOGETHER, JAMMED HEADLESS BETWEEN EACH OTHER IN LAYERS OF SAUCE, NO, I DON'T DRINK MILK, I AM AN ADULT, I ONCE HAD A FRIEND WHO WAS A VEAL CALF DEPRIVED OF HER MOTHER'S MILK, I HEARD HER CARCASS WHISPERING TO ME, FRESHLY HUNG AND GUTTED IN A SLAUGHTER HOUSE, DRYING AND BLEEDING ON THE BOOTS OF THE WORKERS IN CRIMSON STAINED APRONS, DAIRY BAD SHE SAID, HER HEAD SWUNG GENTLY SEVERED FROM HER BODY, DAIRY BAD, |
