All of the disagreement in Washington might produce a result that is actually good for animals. Currently, the price consumers pay at the supermarket for meat, dairy and eggs is less than the true cost to produce it, in part because our tax dollars massively subsidize animal products.
Congress is currently trying to settle on a version of the Farm Bill, a bill passed every five years and worth about $500 billion in tax revenue that goes toward farm subsidies and food assistance programs, among other things. If Congress cannot agree and pass the bill by January 1, milk prices could more than double to $6-8 per gallon.
The tremendous power of the dairy and meat lobbies is the reason such an enormous portion of our tax dollars is directed toward factory farms. This is despite the admonishments of major health and environmental organizations to reduce our consumption of animal products.
The true cost of milk also includes horrific animal cruelty. Cows only produce milk after they’ve given birth. So that their milk can be sold for human consumption, their newborn calves are taken from them shortly after birth. The male calves are often sold for veal. Mother cows sometimes cry out for their missing babies for weeks.
There’s no need to worry about the price per gallon of milk. You can join the growing number of people ditching dairy in favor of delicious cruelty-free alternatives, such as almond, soy, and coconut milks. Visit ChooseVeg.com to learn more.
