PETA is suing a Wisconsin dairy co-op for separating calves from their moms. But why do farmers do so?

A Wisconsin-based farmer cooperative is the newest dairy producer to be criticized for a way their producers look after calves.  

PETA, an animal welfare activist group, filed a lawsuit in California this week in opposition to Natural Valley, which relies in La Farge. The criticism alleges that Natural Valley’s claims of manufacturing milk with humane animal practices are deceptive as a result of their farmers separate calves from their moms shortly after start, a typical observe in dairy farming.

“These practices are usually not ‘humane’ and don’t comport with established ‘highest requirements’ of animal care ‘above and past different requirements’—together with provision of ‘social’ settings—that (Natural Valley) touts on its labels,” the lawsuit stated.

A spokesperson for Natural Valley didn’t reply to a request for touch upon the lawsuit.

PETA will not be the one group that claims cow-calf separation is merciless. In 2020, actor Joaquin Phoenix used a part of his acceptance speech on the Academy Awards to criticize the dairy trade for artificially inseminating cows and selecting to “steal her child” after it’s born.

Jennifer Van Os researches animal welfare on dairy farms for the College of Wisconsin-Madison. She stated cow-calf separation is normal for dairy farms throughout the U.S. and the world. She stated the observe began as a solution to forestall new child calves from contracting ailments from different cows in a herd.

“New child dairy cows are weak to illness as a result of their immune system continues to be growing,” Van Os stated. “Their immune system develops in a means that is a bit bit totally different from that of people. So it got here from good intentions, and it was accomplished for the sake of the animal.”

She stated older analysis has additionally discovered that eradicating a calf virtually instantly from their dam, or mom, brought about much less stress for each animals. In order that grew to become the usual observe for a lot of farms.

Van Os stated there are other ways to deal with calves, however many farms use calf hutches. These are partially-enclosed, outdoors shelters that have been developed to permit for good air flow and for farmers to extra simply monitor the younger animals. 

She stated dairy cows are precocial animals, that means they’re able to impartial exercise very shortly after start and aren’t as depending on their moms. However analysis has proven that they do profit from social interplay with different calves their age, like studying methods to get together with others within the herd and getting an opportunity to play.

“There is a technique that has been gaining traction and it is known as social housing, the place you retain calves with others of the identical age with out grownup cows. So that they might be housed in just a few as a pair, or in small teams or bigger teams,” Van Os stated.

She stated a few quarter of U.S. farms are already housing calves in teams, and he or she’s had a big variety of Wisconsin producers attain out to learn the way they will undertake the observe on their very own farm.

All through her work learning cow welfare and educating farmers on methods to enhance, Van Os stated she has typically been requested whether or not retaining a calf with their mom can be a greater choice.

“Quite a lot of these questions come from individuals throughout the dairy trade — dairy farmers themselves and different individuals in type of the meals provide chain — as a result of it is truly not a brand new idea, retaining cows and calves collectively. It simply is not the usual observe,” she stated.

Van Os stated some dairy farms in Wisconsin already maintain calves with their moms. She’s collaborating with one other animal welfare scientist, Kate Creutzinger from UW-River Falls, on a brand new undertaking to look at the pure conduct of cows and calves residing collectively on pasture at these farms, with the hope of making a mannequin for different farms excited about adopting the observe.