A dairy cow’s only job is to produce a lot of milk. But she only gives milk when she gives birth to a calf. The cow is artificially inseminated for the first time when it reaches sexual maturity at the age of 16 to 18 months. Shortly after the birth of her first calf, the cow gives milk that man claims for himself. Therefore, cow and calf are only separated from each other a few hours or days after birth – a considerable psychological burden for both.
The calf usually receives milk substitute, a mixture of skimmed milk powder and water. As a result, the calf is often disease prone. Behavioral disorders also develop, since the calf cannot satisfy its natural need to suckle its mother’s udder. These calves never experience the care and attention of their mother – the suffering of the calves is difficult to imagine.
Individual farms show that there is another way – they operate alternative dairy cow husbandry. At this so-called mother-bound calf rearing Is the calf allowed to stay with its mother for a longer period of time? You can also read our interview about animal-friendly milk with Hans Möller, manager of an organic farm near Hamburg.
After the birth of the last calf, a dairy cow is inseminated again as soon as possible so that she continues to produce as much milk as possible. Milk yield per cow – that is the amount of milk a cow produces per year – has increased in recent years continuously to. High-yielding dairy cows today give up to 12,000 liters of milk a year – i.e. over 30 liters a day. These animals are fed massive amounts of concentrates such as grain and soy to produce such high milk yields. This physical performance can be compared to a top athlete who has to run a marathon every day.