Milk.. Drinkable?

[Hau Apraadhi]

Vaaheguroo Jee Kaa Khaalsaa, Vaaheguroo Jee Kee Fathe!

I found out yesterday that cows are injected with hormones which make the cows THINK that they are pregnant so they produce more milk, and that's the milk we drink...

So my question is, (and it may sound extreme to some people), but should we as Gursikhs be drinking milk that has been derived from a cow in such a manner? Isn't it wrong because it's basically not natural any more?

The only place you can really get pure milk is by living in India and owning your own cow, and I'm not thinking of doing that any time soon whatsoever... or ever for that matter lol

Lookin forward to your comments.

Vaaheguroo Jee Kaa Khaalsaa, Vaaheguroo Jee Kee Fathe!

[Into the Light]

Just drink organic milk...i'm pretty certain that cows don't get injected with what your referring too.

[Hau Apraadhi]

I asked about if organic is ok, but apparently that just means the cows aren't trapped in the cages, they're let to roam around free in the fields..

[Pyara]

I asked about if organic is ok, but apparently that just means the cows aren't trapped in the cages, they're let to roam around free in the fields..

Organic milk is supposed to be hormone free. The claim is no harmful pesticides or fertilizers (organic only) are allowed in the feed the cows eat. There is also no bovine growth hormones (BGH) allowed to increase milk production. There's no genetic mutation or irradiation permitted. There is supposed to be no antibiotics allowed, and if a cow does need to be treated it is to be returned to the herd for a year to make sure the antibiotics are out of its system. Finally organic cows must have access to open pasture which other cows do not.

[dalsingh101]

I find the whole matter of looking into the nature of what we eat distressing. Frequently it seems as if the food is interfered with in one way or another. Yes, sure you have organic, but sometimes that is so expensive as to be out of reach for many of us.

If you're lucky enough to have a garden, grow your own as much as possible.

[West London Singh]

Organic milk is supposed to be hormone free. The claim is no harmful pesticides or fertilizers (organic only) are allowed in the feed the cows eat. There is also no bovine growth hormones (BGH) allowed to increase milk production. There's no genetic mutation or irradiation permitted. There is supposed to be no antibiotics allowed, and if a cow does need to be treated it is to be returned to the herd for a year to make sure the antibiotics are out of its system. Finally organic cows must have access to open pasture which other cows do not.

Yes but the fact is that whether or not we are talking organic the cow's baby (calf) is forcefully seperated from it's mother the moment it is born so WE can have milk......and throughout this distressed state (being seperated from it's baby) it is expected to give US the milk mean't for it's baby....for the rest of it's life while it is prepared for slaughter.

So.....my question is this : Why is it that we think it's ok for us to drink that milk but not eat the eggs or meat ?

[Guroo Guroo Jaap]

Dass stopped drinking milk when i saw a video about how painfull it is for cows to produce such an amount of milk, and also apparently cows arent suppose to produce soo much milk

[Hau Apraadhi]

So what to have in replacement of milk in order to keep your nutrition up or whatever it is? Personally I would find it really difficult cutting dairy products out of my life because every single thing I eat will usually have some kind of dairy product in it. So that means we can't even eat langar.... totally confused...

[Singhstah]

Yes but the fact is that whether or not we are talking organic the cow's baby (calf) is forcefully seperated from it's mother the moment it is born so WE can have milk......and throughout this distressed state (being seperated from it's baby) it is expected to give US the milk mean't for it's baby....for the rest of it's life while it is prepared for slaughter.

So.....my question is this : Why is it that we think it's ok for us to drink that milk but not eat the eggs or meat ?

your question/conclusion is based only on the curremt methods. back in panjab in the olden days and im sure everywhere else it was much more humane. there is nothing wrong with milk itself, remember we cannot make parshad without butter therefore dairy is accepted by Guru Sahib, the only issue i can see is such treatment of the cows as described in this thread. that is certainly at odds with sikhi. but milk obtained humanely is 100% fine. I mean ideally khalsa should have its own cows and have them milked by amritdhari gursikhs only, there would be no problem with animal cruelty issues then, i.e. bibek. Hopefully one day the panth will be blessed with this, same for growing of fruits, vegetables,etc.

In my opinion this whole thing is a daya issue, I personally do not see it as a kurehit though. I admit its a very difficult situation as we should not be condoning cruelty to any living being and at the same time removing milk from our diet would be quiet a big deal... even as I type this I feel strongly this moral dilemma, I really am exploiting another being for selfish reasons (under the current methods of obtaining milk anyway)... this thread has prompted me to do some research.

[malkeet]

perhaps sangat should start investing in farmland instead of building huge new expensive gurdwaras in the uk. We could then keep our own cows and also grow our own crops for langar. Just an idea for the future perhaps.