Will you give a donation today to help end the suffering of dairy cows?

The ethics of rearing dairy cows for milk has been a constant topic of debate for the Vegetarian Society for many decades. In recent years, we have seen a desperate decline in welfare standards for cows. Industrial-scale, intensive dairy farms are overcrowded with exhausted animals expected to produce ever higher milk yields. And as soon as they are no longer productive, these poor animals are destined for the abattoir.

But what if we could rethink the entire dairy farming system and develop a new model with sustainability and compassion at its heart? A system where calves remain together with their mothers until weaned. Where cows produce milk less intensively, and then retire to pasture until the end of their natural lives.

Slaughter-free dairy farming is not just a dream. It’s already a reality for a few forward-thinking farms. Imagine how our dairy industry would be transformed if we could scale this model across the whole of the UK. Cows would no longer be regarded as commodities, but treated as sentient animals working and living alongside us, with a safe and long life in return for the milk they provide.

To make this a reality, we need evidence. We need to demonstrate to the farming community, retailers and government that this is not only workable – it’s the future

I believe, as a campaigning charity at the forefront of championing animal
rights for over 175 years, the Vegetarian Society is best placed to take this
pioneering vision forward. But to achieve this, we need your support. We
must raise £25,000 to fund a programme of targeted research to explore
how slaughter-free dairy farming could become a reality.

This evidence will detail how our new vision for dairy can be brought to life,
without compromising the cow, the farmer, or the environment.

With your support, we can commission groundbreaking research that will
lay the foundations for a workable, sustainable, and kinder dairy industry.

We will garner government support and form an alliance of supporting
organisations. This will provide farmers, both now and in the future, with a
roadmap to successfully implement slaughter-free dairy farms, that works
for them and their consumers.

You can help us make this happen by giving a donation to our Slaughter-Free
Dairy Appeal. You can help us revolutionise the dairy industry. Let’s change it
for the better, forever.

Please donate today.

Richard McIlwain
(Chief Executive of the Vegetarian Society)