This is btw one main reason why milk is murder, because many of those calves are often killed for their meat. The other reason is that cows stop beeing productive and are killed way before their natural death, since the replacement calves are rdy to go (I think it was something like after 5 years with their natural life span beeing around 25, but I’m not sure if I remember correctly).
A bit oversimplified, but just to add a bit more context why vegans don’t drink milk.
Not this time, I don’t think. The internet says that male calves are typically killed for meat at 18 months old, but would reach adulthood at 4 years of age. One male breeder adult is rented out to other farmers for a fixed period to impregnate the whole (female) herd. All the other males are killed. So few males make it to adulthood that it’s not normally even one per herd. Cows are usually killed if they don’t get pregnant after a number of tries. There’s no sense farmers spending a lot of money keeping an animal alive to not even get any milk from it, and there’s not a lot of profit in farming in my country for them to sentimentally keep animals alive.
The majority are killed at 18 months for meat (equivalent of about 6 in human age) once they’ve put on enough weight. “Veal” is if they’re killed under 12 months, which is rarer, but adulthood is a couple of years later, and yes, not just many of the calves, almost all of the male ones.
Gloomy@mander.xyz 4 weeks ago
This is btw one main reason why milk is murder, because many of those calves are often killed for their meat. The other reason is that cows stop beeing productive and are killed way before their natural death, since the replacement calves are rdy to go (I think it was something like after 5 years with their natural life span beeing around 25, but I’m not sure if I remember correctly).
A bit oversimplified, but just to add a bit more context why vegans don’t drink milk.
davidagain@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
At least 50% of them are killed - very, very few males make it to adulthood.
commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 weeks ago
this is incorrect
davidagain@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
Not this time, I don’t think. The internet says that male calves are typically killed for meat at 18 months old, but would reach adulthood at 4 years of age. One male breeder adult is rented out to other farmers for a fixed period to impregnate the whole (female) herd. All the other males are killed. So few males make it to adulthood that it’s not normally even one per herd. Cows are usually killed if they don’t get pregnant after a number of tries. There’s no sense farmers spending a lot of money keeping an animal alive to not even get any milk from it, and there’s not a lot of profit in farming in my country for them to sentimentally keep animals alive.
Ardyssian@sh.itjust.works 4 weeks ago
What about plant-based milk such as Soy Bean Milk - would that work as a suitable less resource intensive alternative?
prettybunnys@sh.itjust.works 4 weeks ago
Plant based alternates aren’t necessarily better for the environment or use less resources but they do get around the animal cruelty part.
They’re just usually woefully terribly for the environment in their farming and production.
commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 weeks ago
“many” is doing a lot of lifting here.
the majority of Castle are slaughtered at full weight. hardly any become veal
davidagain@lemmy.world 4 weeks ago
The majority are killed at 18 months for meat (equivalent of about 6 in human age) once they’ve put on enough weight. “Veal” is if they’re killed under 12 months, which is rarer, but adulthood is a couple of years later, and yes, not just many of the calves, almost all of the male ones.
commie@lemmy.dbzer0.com 4 weeks ago
18 months is full weight