When dairy cows have stopped producing milk, they are slaughtered. Many are so spent by the time that they reach slaughter that they are unable to stand. Their meat is only good for ground beef products because of the toll that repeated pregnancies has taken on their bodies. This video shows the treatment of the cows once they reach the slaughterhouse. If you can’t watch the entire thing without getting upset (and you still consume animal products), ask yourself how you can support such cruelty? I’ll caution you that while this isn’t overly graphic, it is still upsetting. Your money funds this:

Footage from this video led to a massive beef recall. The only reason is because it was actually caught on tape, as this is the norm.

I like to think of things like this: We are all on the same team here.  We are all on this planet trying to get by. Just because we are the “dominant” species doesn’t mean we have to exploit and abuse any other living being just because we can. Put yourself in the position of the dairy cows in the video. What if we weren’t the “dominant” species and that was what humans had to go through? I know for a fact that I would not want to live the life of a dairy cow- or any other animal raised for meat. The golden rule applies here, don’t you think?

The good news here is that this footage landed felony convictions for those persons involved in the abuse. It’s great news, but don’t kid yourself- this happens ALL THE TIME. It is extremely rare that (1) the abuse is caught on tape and (2) someone would care enough to even prosecute. Even more shocking is that it would result in a conviction- a felony, no less. Wow!

By the way, this company is the No. 2 supplier of ground beef for the National School Lunch Program. Gross!

Now, I’m not saying stop eating beef (although I wish you would). What I am saying is stop eating this beef. Stop supporting this. Buy locally raised, grass fed beef from your farmer’s market if you insist on eating it. Likewise with the milk. This is not OK.