Dairy Farmers Concerned Over Rise of Vegan Celebs

As people around the world have become more aware of the environmental degradation and animal cruelty involved in dairy production and the detrimental health effects of dairy consumption, sales of plant-based milk have soared. Now dairy farmers in the U.K. are expressing concern over their failing business model. Welsh Dairy Show chairman Colin Evans says: “It must be of concern to us. Celebrities are now getting behind promotional drives for veganism and vegetarianism.
If the dairy industry is scared, it has reason to be. While many celebrities are promoting more humane food choices, the rise of plant-based milk is part of a growing trend. Since 1970, consumption of cow’s milk has been on the decline, and in recent years, sales of dairy-free milk alternatives have skyrocketed. NBC News recently reported that internet grocery delivery giant Instacart had found searches for “non-dairy up by 222 percent.
And now, even the dairy industry itself is starting to switch. After 90 years in business, Elmhurst Dairy in New York switched to producing plant-based milk. Canada’s largest dairy producer, Saputo, is reportedly looking to invest in dairy-free alternatives.
At a conference in Chicago earlier this year, industry leaders discussed the impact of dairy-free milk. “I think the threat is very serious, said Select Milk Producers CEO Mike McCloskey. “I think that many people have stolen the identity of milk over the years and we as an industry have sat back and not responded like we should have.
What’s truly sad is that dairy farmers are more concerned with their profits than with the suffering their animals endure.
 
At dairy factory farms, cows are routinely brutalized, forcibly impregnated, and confined in horrendous conditions. Torn from their mothers at birth, male calves are killed for veal and females are raised to produce more milk. At the end of their miserable and heartbreaking lives, cows are sent to a violent slaughter.
Watch this Mercy For Animals undercover video at a dairy factory farm.
 
Thankfully, you can make the compassionate choice to help animals abused by the factory farming industry simply by leaving all animal products off your plate. Click here to get started.
Click here for our ultimate guide to dairy-free milk.