Are "free-range" and "organic" dairy animals cruelty free?!
Are "free-range" and "organic" dairy animals cruelty free?
I have been an ovo-lacto vegetarian for years, and would like to continue eating dairy products, but recently have been reading that organic and free-range dairy animals are most often treated just as awfully as animals not on organic and free-range farms. So, I am considering a vegan diet; I have a gluten-sensitivity, so I already have a somewhat limited choice for protein (as most veggie burgers and such contain wheat gluten). Any advice, good sources?
Answers:
By law 'free-range' animals must have access to the outside at least part of the day. How long that is is up to the famer. By law 'organic' means the animals are not fed chemicals or treated with hormones.
If you are concerned about whether your food is fully cruelty-free, join a co-op. Community Supported Agriculture (CSA) is a growing trend and available in most areas. Basically, you pay an area farmer a flat rate in the spring, and get back a portion of whatever he grows/raises over that year, usually on a weekly basis. It's a great deal, good for the environment, and you will know precisely what conditions your food is produced in. Do a search for a CSA in your area. Many have eggs and dairy products in addition to produce.
Free range animals live out in pastures and such instead of in cages and such, and the same usually holds true of organic animals, although all that that really implies is that they were fed without chemically treated or genetically enhanced feeds.
Free Range just means that they are not locked in a 1x1 pen all day, instead 1000 or more of them have "free range" of a crowded coup all day , which is not that much better.
how do you define "cruelty"? because whenever we eat an animal, there will always be some degree of cruelty (you can eat it unless you kill it first);
I try to avoid all forms of meat (although I must confess that meat is very tempting at times and I succumb) but I try and I don't give up trying;
anyway, back to your question: if you are worried about your protein source from plants, the most popular protein source is soy/tofu but beans & legumes, peas & lentils are other great sources and you will not have as a big a problem with gluten;
many experts argue that animal protein is superior to plant protein, that animal protein is high-quality; the truth is that the main difference between anima protein and plant protein is the quantity of amino acid types; while plant protein contain only 9 types of amino acids, animal protein contain at least 24 kinds; however, our bodies can manufacture all the amino acids it will need except 9 of them (guess which 9 they are); this is why most meat-eaters eventually end up with arthritis and with osteoporosis (which has as one of its main causes the drinking of milk after loosing your milk teeth - there is a reason why we have milk teeth during infanthood and loose them as we grow up);
I am in the same boat-allergic to wheat, soy, eggs, commercial dairy, etc. I cant eat what most vegans eat, like the meat replacements and breads. Your best bet is to find a local dairy or food co op where you can get safe eggs and raw milk, butter, and cheese. The "free range" and "organic" found on grocery shelves are not trusted-Horizon Farms, for example, was marketing "open air chickens" and it turned out all they had done was cut a small window into their battery house! I dont trust the big businesses, but do trust small local farmers. I cant do the full vegan diet, due to my limitations, but I do live a vegan lifestyle otherwise. I cant have eggs, but I do fix them for my 12 year old vegetarian daughter.