What is the problem with milk?
Created on: March 16, 2026
Last edited on: March 16, 2026
Many people see milk as a harmless food. A splash in coffee here, a little cheese on pizza there - what could possibly be wrong with that? In reality, milk production involves a complex system of violations, family separation, and ultimately an end at the slaughterhouse. Together with you, we take a look behind the closed doors of the dairy industry 👀
Why do cows produce milk?
As with all mammals, the same applies to cows: milk is only produced after giving birth. This means cows do not produce milk continuously, but only after they have had a calf. Therefore, cows (and other animals abused for milk such as sheep and goats) are regularly made pregnant again - usually once a year.
To see the dairy industry with your own eyes, you can watch the documentary DOMINION (the section about dairy products begins at minute 53).
Artificial insemination
Various methods are used to collect semen. The most common practices are these: either an insemination technician inserts an electroejaculator anally into male bulls and stimulates them until ejaculation, or the bull is allowed to mount a dummy cow and ejaculation occurs into an artificial vagina.
The semen is collected and then used for the forced insemination of cows using a tube. During the procedure, the insemination technician’s other hand palpates the cow’s cervix rectally. In this way, new pregnancies are repeatedly initiated - with the goal of keeping the milk flow as constant as possible.
To place this ethically: if such practices were carried out on humans, it would generally be described as rape.
Family separation
After about nine months of pregnancy, a cow gives birth to her calf. Without human interference, a close social bond normally develops - cow mothers recognize their calf by smell and voice and defend it from potential dangers, while the calf drinks milk from the mother’s udder several times a day. The strong mother-child bond is also evident in the fact that both call to each other with characteristic sounds and usually remain in close proximity to one another.
In reality, however, this dynamic almost never occurs. Standard practice is that the calf is taken away from its mother shortly after birth so that it does not "drink away" the milk that is meant to be sold. After the separation, the cow and calf often call for each other repeatedly, actively search for one another, and show clear signs of distress. This behavior can continue for hours or days. What happens next then depends on the sex of the calf:
The life of a dairy cow
Female calves are usually raised to become future dairy cows. Breeds intended for dairy production have been specifically bred to produce very large amounts of milk. In addition to the emotional and physical stress caused by repeated pregnancies, dairy cows are subjected to machine milking several times a day and to significant physical strain from their heavy udders. Inflammation of the udder and mammary glands is among the most common diseases in the dairy industry.
In the worst case, a cow becomes a so-called downer cow - a cow that can no longer stand up due to injuries, exhaustion, and calcium deficiency after giving birth. In such cases, attempts are made to lift the cow using hoisting devices and to treat her. If this does not succeed, she is euthanized or ends up at the slaughterhouse.
Murder
What happens to dairy cows when they can no longer fulfill the purpose for which they were bred? As soon as a cow’s “milk yield” declines and she becomes less profitable, she is usually murdered at the slaughterhouse. Dairy cows reach an average age of only 5 to 6 years, whereas the natural life expectancy of cattle is 15 to 25 years.
You may already have wondered earlier: what happens to male calves? They have no use for milk production and are therefore fattened for several months and then, depending on the slaughter age, end up on plates as veal or beef.
Milk and meat belong together
Although many people mentally separate the dairy and meat industries and believe that no animals die for dairy products, the opposite is true. The dairy and meat industries go hand in hand - both “spent” dairy cows and male calves are processed into meat.
So why don’t vegans drink milk? When we live vegan, we oppose the abuse of animals - which already occurs during the lives of animals bred for milk and, of course, also with their murder.
➡️ In this video, you see the standard practices of the dairy industry simply explained and illustrated with images.
Does the human body need milk?
Milk is often associated with calcium. Calcium is indeed important for the body (among other things for bone strength), but it does not occur exclusively in dairy products. There are many plant-based sources of calcium such as tofu or green leafy vegetables. Some foods are also fortified with it (for example soy yogurts). You can find out how to meet your calcium needs on a vegan diet in our nutrient guide.
Incidentally, dairy products do not “simply contain” calcium either. Cows absorb it through their feed and are often supplemented with it as well.
In addition, a large part of the world’s population does not tolerate lactose well in adulthood. This is because the human body is biologically not designed to digest milk beyond early childhood. Globally, lactose intolerance is the norm: around 65-70% of adults worldwide are lactose intolerant. Northern European countries stand out with only about 2-15% mainly because people in these regions began drinking milk from cows, sheep, and goats early on, which led to an evolutionary genetic adaptation.
However, dairy products are not nutritionally necessary for humans - regardless of where they come from. All nutrients contained in dairy products can easily be obtained from a plant-based diet or fortified foods. Many major health organizations, including the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, confirm that a well-planned vegan diet without dairy products can be healthy and nutritionally adequate when vitamin B12 is reliably supplemented.
Replace dairy products with vegan alternatives
We do not live vegan because we dislike the creamy taste of dairy products. We live vegan because we believe that no taste can justify the cruelty just described. In fact, in many cases we do not have to give up the taste and function of dairy products at all:
You can replace animal milk with plant-based alternatives such as soy milk, oat milk, almond milk, and many others. For coffee, there are various barista versions that can be frothed just like cow’s milk.
For health reasons, we prefer replacing butter with margarine based on rapeseed, sunflower, or olive oil - but if you want the authentic taste, you can also find vegan butter in block form in the refrigerated section. Instead of cream, you can use soy or oat cream. These are now available in almost all supermarkets.
There are also vegan alternatives to yogurt, such as soy, oat, or lupin yogurt. Often even supermarket store brands offer inexpensive vegan yogurt without added sugar, from which you can make protein-rich vegan cream cheese by letting it drain overnight through a cheesecloth.
Vegan cheese is available in an ever-growing variety in supermarkets - from sliced cheese to soft cheese and shredded cheese, all the way to vegan feta. Nutritionally, however, most varieties are unfortunately not particularly recommended so far. In everyday life, we therefore tend to replace cream cheese with soy quark, hummus, or nut butters, sliced cheese with tofu or tempeh, and parmesan with a mix of nuts, spices, and nutritional yeast. The latter is a real game changer both nutritionally and because of its cheesy flavor! 🧀🌱
👉 Learn more in or guide on HOW TO REPLACE FOODS WITH VEGAN ALTERNATIVES.
Conclusion
While the dairy industry shows consumers images of happy cows on green pastures, the reality involves sexual violations, families being torn apart, and babies ending up in slaughterhouses.
By living vegan, you can choose not to be part of this cruel system anymore. And don’t worry - you can still get calcium and other important nutrients on a vegan diet. On HOW VEGAN you will find helpful guides on topics such as vegan protein sources, nutrients, plate composition, and a vegan shopping list. Once you understand the WHY VEGAN, we can figure out the HOW together. 🤝
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