State Of Dairy Cattle Rajasthan Report

Author(s): Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations
Publisher: Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations

Page 4

fiapo.org
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
The milk production in Rajasthan has increased by 308.3% from 1985 to 2015 (an increase from 41.46.000 tonnes to 1,69,34,000 tonnes). An increase in production of this scale requires a shift from conventional method of dairying to a more intensive and modern methodology wherein the animal is modified according to the requirements of the demand and supply chain. As a result, a massive inflow of foreign, exotic breeds in to the Indian dairy sector has been noticed in recent years. These cattle breeds have been reared for increased milk production with an average milk output of 20 liters per milking per day per animal! Such unnatural quantities of milk stem from a repeated cycle of impregnation and lactation, which reduce the average lifespan of the dairy cattle and increases the risk of reproductive diseases and udder infections.
Male calves are treated as a
useless by product of
the dairy industry
The life of a dairy cow lasts for an average of 10 years in a dairy establishment as compared to 25 years naturally. It involves a cycle of repeated artificial inseminations, separation from calves, little to no veterinary care and being injected with illegal and banned drugs to increase and release huge quantities of milk at one time. Once the cattle has been subjected to this cycle of unending cruelty. the last step is either being sold to economically weaker farmers for their personal use or to slaughter houses- both at low prices to earn meager sums of money that can be derived from the final disposition.
The images of happy cows feeding on green pastures are the perfect façade for a truly cruel and increasingly intensive dairy industry. Dairy cattle in the urban sector get no access to soft ground at any point in their lives and have to spend their entire lives in cramped, poorly ventilated and dark enclosures where fractures from slipping in their own excreta are a common occurrence. Thus, an evident delinking of humane treatment of cattle, especially cows, as sentient beings is being noticed with an increased inflow of western technology and rising demand for milk and milk products.