In light of the news surrounding Fairlife, it’s time to talk about how the dairy industry affects our planet, and how we can change our dairy consumption habits to benefit ourselves and the planet. First we will start with a quick recap of the past week’s events regarding Fairlife.
Last week, the Animal Recovery Mission, or ARM, released a video detailing widespread animal abuse at Fair Oaks Farm in Indiana, one of the largest dairy producers for Fairlife, which is a subsidiary of Coca-Cola. I would recommend watching the actual video with caution, which includes all the violations with somewhat gruesome evidence. Obviously, the animal abuse, which included hitting and throwing of small calves, was in itself bad, but the issue also allows us to assess the overall health of the dairy industry.
In present day, the dairy industry is causing a major problem that is relatively unknown to the average person. The agriculture industry produces 18% of annual greenhouse gas emissions, most of which is attributed to ruminants(animals which regurgitate their food, like cows). With our club focus on small, individual changes to improve the environment, think about your contribution to the major issue of climate change next time you drink that glass of milk to eat that burger from Five Guys. And if that isn’t good enough for you, rising costs of milk and beef, along with undocumented animal abuse should also serve as some motivation. Until next time...