More than 2000 protesters attended the Badger Cull Protest on Saturday the 21st February in Birmingham, waving placards, banners and fists in defiance of the badger cull – the largest anti-badger cull protest of its kind outside of London. The Vegan Society’s message was clear for all to see: go vegan for badgers, cows and, in effect, all animals.
Despite scientific research repeatedly proving the badger cull to be ineffective in tackling the spread of bTB, the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) has commissioned a third round of culls in Gloucestershire and west Somerset for later this year. The Vegan Society's presence at the march was not just to protest this ineffectual and unneccessary move, but to help protesters as well as passers-by understand the often overlooked links between the badger cull and the dairy industry. Many speakers at the march unfortunately glossed over the fact that the cull has been driven by pressure on the government by dairy producers, who are supported by consumer demand. Put simply, if we take away the demand for dairy, there will be no supply – and no more ineffective, inhumane culling of badgers.
“Even though we already know that the badgers are not the culprits in the bovine TB problem, the solution is not necessarily to vaccinate badgers, but to phase out dairy cowherds,” said CEO Jasmijn De Boo, speaking at the protest. “If the demand for milk decreases not only do we directly save the cows from a miserable life, but we also prevent any unnecessary badger culling.”
As well as speaking and marching at the important event, staff and volunteers were busy with The Vegan Society’s stall. We aimed to provide a point of contact for those wanting to know more about how going vegan can help lessen demand for the cull, and about how veganism is a more compassionate way of life in general. When not handing out flyers detailing this or speaking to national news outlets, our staff and supporters were busy signing up 40 new people for our 30 Day Vegan Pledge, which provides daily support and advice on how to go vegan in 30 days. As our Vegan Pledge has a 90% success rate at retaining vegans who complete their month, we can predict that up to 36 people will now be going vegan after attending this event.
But these events could not be possible without our valuable supporters, whether by giving up their time via volunteering or donating to help cover the costs of the day. If you would like to help us attend events like this to conduct important outreach, you can donate via Justgiving, our online shop, or by texting VEGN44 with your donation sum in number format: £5, £10, £20, etc.
You can read more about the links between the badger cull and the dairy industry here.
Jasmijn De Boo’s full speech for the day can be found below.
"Today is a day of national consciousness, where we are mindful of the fate of badgers and cows and all other non-human animals who are ‘cleared out of the way’ by humans encroaching on their land or exploiting them for our purposes.
We have heard from eloquent speakers how badgers are persecuted and suffer in the process, how ineffective and unnecessary the culls are, and that there are other solutions to the bovine Tuberculosis problem. The facts are clear, yet the government continues to ignore them, which is costly and inhumane. Let me tell you a story about cows, the flipside of the badger cull coin.
16 years ago I visited a slaughterhouse as part of my Masters of Science studies. The cows, who were probably only 4 or 5 years old, at most, while they can live to well into their twenties, were led in a chute towards their horrific death. I saw a couple of cows witnessing what happened in front of them and they backed up, eyes rolling back. But they had nowhere to go. Whether it was the smell of fear, the sight of what was going on, the sound of desperation and anxiety, the enclosed space at a point of no return, or a combination, I don’t know, but most of my fellow classmates empathised with the cows.
All animals have an interest in staying alive, moving away from danger or avoiding harm. They seek positive emotional states and try to reduce negative feelings. Most conflicts in nature don’t last very long; the energy it takes to fight needs to be preserved for more important vital life functions, so disputes are usually settled fairly quickly. This is unlike in humans who drag out wars for decades.
Coming back to the experience of the cows at the slaughterhouse, I will spare you the graphic details, but if you want to know what goes on as a result of farming cows to produce dairy milk, there are plenty of videos on the Internet.
Cows are artificially inseminated, usually before they are mature, and only go through a few cycles of reproduction before being regarded as ‘spent’ – no longer having a productive life. Just after a few years they are transported to slaughterhouses for hours or days, which is stressful and uncomfortable.
The calves are taken away soon after birth; the females are raised on artificial milk and enter into the dairy industry following their poor mother’s fate. The males are either shot after a few days or shipped abroad to create ‘veal’ meat.
Cows have been genetically selected to produce so much milk these days that they are chronically hungry as they struggle to maintain their own metabolism when most of the energy from food goes to milk production. The concentrated feed they are fed is barely sufficient and is also causing massive environmental damage.
A large proportion of cows experience udder problems – mastitis – something that some new human mothers may empathise with if there are any infections due to breastfeeding. And up to 30% of the cows may experience lameness. Can you imagine what it is like to have hurt your toe nails and then try to do ballet dancing all day for 7 days a week for months on end? That’s what it is like to be a lame cow.
Cows often cannot lie down, either because of lack of space, uncomfortable space or because it simply takes too much energy to lie down and get up. While milking them, now three times a day rather than two a few decades ago, is somewhat of a relief for the cows, it is by no means justified, as we are taking the milk destined for a growing calf. What business do humans have drinking another species’ milk? We don’t need it, and as we’ve seen, there is no such thing as cruelty-free milk.
What does all of this have to do with badgers, you might ask? Even though we already know that the badgers are not the culprits in the bovine TB problem, the solution is not necessarily to vaccinate badgers, but to phase out dairy cowherds. If the demand for milk decreases not only do we directly save the cows from a miserable life, but we also prevent any unnecessary badger culling.
The Vegan Society has recently called on the government to help dairy farmers move away from animal farming and to diversify into crop farming and other viable business ideas, for which EU subsidies are available. Farmers’ livelihoods are in danger, and they need to be supported to change their focus.
Our consciousness tells us right from wrong, and the way cows and badgers are treated is clearly unjust. We can all do something about this, and switch to a vegan diet and lifestyle, and live our lives in tune with our compassionate beliefs. Find out more information at The Vegan Society stall and at vegansociety.com
Thank you." - Jasmijn De Boo, CEO of The Vegan Society.
