Voiceless, an Australian animal protection institute, has released a comprehensive report on the Australia dairy industry titled The Life of the Dairy Cow.

The report shines an informed and considered light on the impacts of an industry that few people think about.  For most Australians, consuming milk and dairy products is a daily activity carried out for life.  Few people stop to consider where dairy milk comes from, how it is produced, or even why humans drink so much cows milk.  It is something we learn from a young age and never think to question.

The Voiceless report provides a detailed examination of the welfare of dairy cows and the ethics of standard dairy industry practices.  Key areas of concern are the continuous cycle of pregnancy and birthing, the separation of calfs from their mothers, the slaughter of newborn calfs, and the animal husbandry practices of dairy farmers.

Given the Australian dairy industry is the third largest agricultural sector in Australia, with a combined farm, manufacturing and export value of $13 billion, the Voiceless report raises important considerations that are ever-present in balancing the welfare and rights of animals with the commercialisation of farming.

A copy of the Voiceless report can be found here.