Dairy investigation shows calves starved to death, bodies stuffed
- Animal Equality has released an investigation into India’s dairy farms, revealing systemic animal cruelty.
- Newborn calves were ripped from their mothers within minutes of birth. Calves bellowed while mothers strained against ropes in distress.
- Male calves, because they do not produce milk, were abandoned and left to starve.
- Workers placed their stuffed, dead bodies beside grieving mothers, an attempt to trick them into producing milk.
- Animal Equality is urging Indian authorities to strengthen the enforcement of animal cruelty laws.
- The footage adds to a growing record of cruelty linked to the global dairy industry.
In sheds across India, cows and buffaloes stand on floors slick with feces and urine.
Newborn calves are tied just out of their mothers’ reach.
Some are already dead.
Animal Equality investigated 27 dairy farms and three live markets in Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and Maharashtra.
What they found points to systemic cruelty deep within the dairy supply chain.
VIDEO
Do cows have to be pregnant to produce milk?
Cows and buffaloes only produce milk after giving birth. To keep milk flowing, female animals are repeatedly impregnated through artificial insemination.
On every farm visited, newborn calves were torn from their mothers and tied up within minutes.
Investigators heard calves’ high-pitched cries echoing through the sheds. Mothers wailed, straining against ropes, searching for their calves.
After the milk is collected and sold, the cycle starts again.
As the years pass, a mother’s body wears down and she produces less milk. She is then sold off and killed for meat.
Do male cows produce milk?
Male calves–who do not produce milk–were abandoned and left to starve.
When a calf is taken away, a mother’s milk production slows. Investigators filmed workers stuffing calves’ bodies with hay and placing them beside grieving mothers.
Investigators said it was a crude attempt to trick mothers into producing more milk.
Behind closed doors
Cows and buffaloes were kept on short ropes for years—often threaded through their nostrils—unable to walk, turn around, or lie down freely. They ate, slept, and lived in the same few feet.
In one case, a buffalo could not even stand. She was still tethered in place, her head pulled upward by the rope.
Floors were coated in feces and urine, sometimes reaching the animals’ ankles. Many animals showed visible injuries and signs of illness. Investigators found no evidence of veterinary care.
Milking—by hand and machine—often caused wounds. On one farm, animals were fed expired, molded bread.
Investigators even documented workers beating animals to force them onto vehicles.
Illegal hormone injections
Farm owners routinely injected cows and buffaloes with oxytocin to force milk production.
Oxytocin is banned under Indian law for use in the dairy industry. Investigators found no sign of veterinary supervision.
The hormone can cause painful, labor-like contractions. It can also damage animals’ reproductive organs and shorten their lives.
Dairy: A risk to human health
Paneer, one of India’s most popular cheeses, has raised alarms over contamination. Reports have found cheap fillers and harmful substances added during processing.
But investigators say the risk can start much earlier.
None of the farms visited met basic sanitation standards. Buckets of milk sat uncovered in areas full of flies and mosquitoes. The air was thick with stench.
When animals are kept crowded together in filth, diseases can spread fast. We have seen pandemics linked to farming around the world. Avian flu is one example. These are the warning signs. — Amruta Ubale, Executive Director of Animal Equality in India
Meanwhile, investigators warn that consumption of oxytocin can impact human health.
It has been linked to early puberty in girls, breast tissue development in boys, and vision and hearing problems in children.
People who are pregnant face risks including miscarriage, birth defects, low infant immunity, and postpartum bleeding.
India’s dairy products are exported abroad, including to the United States. Investigators warn that unsanitary conditions have also been found on U.S. dairy farms.
Is this animal cruelty against the law?
Much of this cruelty violates India’s animal protection and food safety laws.
Some does not. Much of it goes unenforced.
Animal Equality is urging India’s government to:
- Introduce rules that reduce suffering on dairy farms.
- Provide training and monitoring of farms.
- Create enforcement committees at state and district levels.
A global pattern of dairy cruelty
With every investigation, we uncover blatant disregard for animals and human health. — Amruta Ubale, Executive Director of Animal Equality in India
Animal Equality has documented dairy cruelty in India since 2014. Investigators say the same patterns show up in other countries, too.
In Nebraska, Animal Equality previously exposed a calf ranch linked to the producer of Babybel cheese.
Footage showed calves left outside in subzero temperatures, with some freezing to death. Several suffered from frostbite that caused their hooves to detach from their legs.
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How to eat dairy-free
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DEFEND COWS
A cow’s maternal instincts foster a gentle bond with her vulnerable calf.
Preserve this tender relationship by trying plant‑based alternatives to dairy products.
