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According to CBS New York, a lack of demand for their
products is forcing the state’s dairy farmers to either shut their barn doors
or leave the business altogether.
One dying dairy farm in the Catskills, The
Diehl Dairy Farm, is only weeks away from going out of business because there
aren’t any creameries nearby to buy its milk. More than 60 dairy farms have
shut their doors in the past 40 years.
But the state’s dairy farmers are getting
creative; some are leaving the business altogether and switching to something
more profitable: beer. That’s right, according to a recent New York Times article, a number of dairy farms have become craft breweries.
According to a 2013 USDA report, dairy consumption has been on the decline for decades,
with each generation consuming less milk than the one before. In fact, CBS New
York reports that fluid milk consumption has fallen a whopping 37 percent since
1970.
A recent survey from agribusiness giant
Cargill reveals that half of U.S. dairy consumers also use vegan dairy
alternatives. With half of all dairy consumers using plant-based
alternatives, the dairy industry is losing a significant portion of its
business.
America’s largest dairy company is taking heed.
Dean Foods recently issued a notice to dozens of dairy suppliers
that it would end their contracts, citing overproduction of dairy milk due to
lack of consumer demand. And Danone, a food company most famous for its yogurt,
is investing up to $60 million in a plant-based beverage
facility in Mount Crawford, Virginia.
What’s more, Elmhurst Dairy in Queens, New York, closed its
doors after 90 years in business and switched to making plant-based milks!
While dairy consumption continues to decline
and farmers are forced to turn to other industries, the plant-based market is
thriving. A 2017 report by the Plant Based
Foods Association and The Good Food Institute shows a more than 20
percent increase from the previous year in purchases of dairy alternatives, such as vegan cheese, ice cream, and yogurt, for a total of over $700 million in
sales.
The decline in dairy consumption is great news
for cows, who are treated as mere milk-producing machines, forcibly
impregnated, and kept in terrible conditions. Shortly after calves are
born, they are torn away from their mothers. Male calves are killed for veal.
Females are forced into the dairy herd, trapped in a cycle of abuse for years
until they are considered “spent and sent to slaughter.
Heartbreaking, right? Just watch this
undercover video from a Mercy For Animals investigation.
Fortunately, you can avoid drinking pus and contributing to this cruel
industry by adopting a healthy and compassionate vegan diet. Click here to
get started. And check out our Pinterest
page for thousands of recipe ideas!
For a list of dairy alternatives, click here.