MILKED: White Lies In Dairy Land

MILKED: White Lies In Dairy Land

2021, Environment  -   8 Comments
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Ratings: 7.87/10 from 15 users.

When we think of the current environmental crisis, particularly pollution and climate change, we immediately start thinking about the usual suspects: plastics and the fossil fuel industry. We don't think about meat and dairy at all since they are food items grown and raised to nourish us. Many of us believe that farming is a natural process and would not harm the environment.

The reality, however, of the negative impact of animal agriculture on the planet's biodiversity and climate is exposed in this documentary The meat and dairy companies are now outpacing the fossil fuel industry, including companies like ExxonMobil, Shell and BP, as the world's biggest polluters and contributors to climate change.

New Zealand is one of the most beautiful countries, with its myriad of stunning and picturesque landscapes. It is also a major global supplier of milk and dairy products, producing approximately 21 billion litres of milk annually from its many dairy farms.

Milk is New Zealand's biggest export product, and food giant Fonterra, the country's biggest company, earns over US$11.5 billion per year. That's a lot of cows, and raising them puts a lot of pressure on the country's natural resources, mainly its freshwater and soil.

A 500 cow dairy, for example, generates over 60,000 pounds of manure daily or about 22 million pounds a year. Cows also pass out methane (which is more harmful than carbon dioxide), and the same 500 cow dairy will emit over 110,000 pounds of methane annually. Cow poop contains phosphorus and nitrogen that can run off into freshwater sources, while bovine methane is a greenhouse gas emission that contributes to climate change.

Unsustainable expansion of dairy farming and needing land to provide cow feed have also led to the slow degradation of vital ecological areas like forests, wetlands, and prairies all over New Zealand.

The number of agricultural livestock in New Zealand is now ten times more than wild animals, driving species extinction rates up and polluting natural waterways. Lake Omapere, for example, is no longer safe to swim or fish in, thanks to pollution from dairy farms upstream.

Beyond that, there is a heavy emotional and psychological toll on many New Zealand dairy farmers due to lingering doubts over the morality and sustainability of the industry. The systemic culling of calves, the financial burden of loan payments, and the sheer exhaustion from their efforts all add up and cause stress and heartbreak.

Switching to a plant-based diet will lessen the demand for meat and dairy-based food items. Many Kiwi dairy farmers have also switched to vegetable milk alternatives such as oat milk or almond milk production. Some are also converting their farms to grow organic vegetables or hemp. A natural, non-synthetic, animal-free dairy milk is now available as well.

Despite the corporate silence on what ails the industry, several eco-friendly and sustainable solutions are on the horizon, but we would have to act now.

Directed by: Amy Taylor

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Chrissie
Chrissie
1 year ago

The basic truth is that mono cropping causes much more harm to the planet and human health than the farming of ruminant animals. I agree that this documentary should be classified <> category. Thumbs down!!

Jean-Pierre Tardif
Jean-Pierre Tardif
1 year ago

This documentary should be classified into the « conspiracy » category.

Jean-Pierre Tardif
Jean-Pierre Tardif
1 year ago

Lies, lies, so much lies to brings economy to it’s knees. This documentary is pure fudging ecologist alarmist propaganda. If people continue to believe this kind of scam humanity is on the edge of an end. Period. Because the level of ecologism alarmism is now unbelievable. What is going to be the next absurdity to come from those alarmist non-scientific fools.

J.J
J.J
1 year ago

Lose Lose situation. Eat more plant-based foods... great but the government uses numerous pesticides in their crops.... so either way we're polluting the planet and having food that is unsafe to eat. Plant-based foods arent the alternative or the argument this documentary thinks it is .

Manuel
Manuel
1 year ago

Fact: I am 63 years old, I stopped drinking milk 8 years ago, no health issues until today.

Devil Travels
Devil Travels
1 year ago

The problem with these documentaries is planetary myopia.
This fixation with focusing on their little patch of dirt on this one planet as if there is all there is and ever will be.
A lot of hand-wringing would end if farming were to be expanded beyond this planet.
If they are so constrained in alternative dairy products, they should begin developing orbital habitat farms.
If they are so consumes about the current costs of planetary dairy farming, they will never grasp the long term savings in orbital farming.
Time to grow up, humanity, and leave the nest.