There's no cruelty free milk. Keep trying dairy substitutes and you'll like them, like anything your body will adjust to something that it is not used to. Try different brands they all taste different. Try "Vitasoy soy milky - lite" my husband hated soy milk and this he was happy with and has had it ever since. Unfortunately, you'll just have to let go of dairy, most people have issues with that initially but honestly eventually you don't miss it one bit.
Yes I too am vegetarian, and I try to not buy dairy milk since I found out about the Bobby calves. My family still wants to drink dairy milk (tho I am happy with soy milk) so I have found a few dairy companies that are ethical in their treatment of their calves. I emailed them all and have only stayed with the ones that I feel treat their calves in a cruelty free way.
b-d Paris Creek Farm - biodymanic in SA, (can get their milk at Thomas Dux)
Barambah Organics - Qld (for cheese, yoghurt etc really good)
Mungalli Creek dairy - Qld (they seem the best option in the humane way they treat their calves but I can't get their milk in Victoria)
Don't be fooled by Schulz Organics, or Divine Dairy - they still send their "excess"calves to the abbatoir
You need to ensure they do not artificially inseminate their cows as this is what produces too many calves.
http://www.abc.net.au/landline/content/2006/s1624149.htm
says these days they use sexed semen for artificial insemination of cows.. how true is this today ( this article is from 2006).. The whole thing is still cruel, but perhaps less cruel.
I'm surprised no one has created a cruelty free milk brand. Even if the brand cost twice or three times the price of ordinary milk, I think there would be a market with vegetarians and others who prefer a more compassionate option. Just look at the popularity of free range eggs these days. What would it take? We'd have to ensure the calves & "surplus" cows were cared for on other farms. How much would that cost? Any budding entrepreneurs here? I reckon you would gain plenty of support through crowdfunding.
want to answer a question someone asked about calf friendly milk. My morning starts off going into the paddock to collect the mother cows for milking. The calves come to the dairy with their mothers, having had their morning milk. We take whats left. At the dairy the motgers willingly leave the calf behind to go into the dairy for milking. The calves are left to frolic around, eat grass, hay or pellets if they want. After milking the mothers are moved off to another pasture for the day. The mothers and calves both quiet and stress free. In the evening the mothers come back to the dairy with the calves waiting. The mothers only give us what they let us have, holding back some milk for their calves. Mothers and calves are reunited to spend the night together. Sounds like what most human parents do on a daily basis. Our bull calves stay with the mothers between 4 to 6 months old when we have to sell them. Unfortunately the circle of life. We do not allow any electric prods to be used on our farm. So, hopefully I have answered the question asked. My question is will I get support in being able to sell my milk to a calf/cow friendly market? As all my desire to do the right thing as humanly as i can comes at a cost. I am only paid the same as any other supplier so yo compensate my farm loss I have to work full time also.
