Horror scenes of India's dairy industry

Pic by Reuters/Kham

Harsha Atmakuri was studying to be a medical doctor in India when a visit to a local market sparked his interest in the meat industry.

His journey began into how it all works.
He discovered that animal slaughterhouses were increasing across the country.
But that’s not where the story begins.
After cows give birth, calves are taken from their mothers.
The cows then continue producing milk for about 10 months. They’re impregnated again, and the cycle is repeated.
The cows are kept alive until their milk runs dry.
Once they stop producing milk, some cows are killed. Others are abandoned, or sold to slaughterhouses.
Harsha’s investigation spoke to many people, and while they may be aware of how the dairy industry works, it’s not enough to make them give up milk.
Harsha delved deeper into the issue. He read books on the topic, spoke to people from all over India, and learned more.
It was a mammoth challenge.
As he sought to understand the connection between the dairy industry and the beef market, his main question was: how did the country get to this place?
It is illegal to kill cows in most Indian states because they’re considered holy animals highly revered within the Hindu community.
Many people worship and decorate them during festivals.
But the harsh reality is – cows are milked until they have produced the very last drop. But not just cows. Buffaloes too.
The animals are forced to produce 20 litres of milk a day – that’s way above a cow’s natural capacity.
It’s all to feed the world’s largest dairy market. India accounts for at least 23 percent of global milk production.
And demand is on the rise - not just for milk but beef as well.
While investigating, Harsha says he was shocked by what he discovered in India – things he is not proud of.
According to a US Department of Agriculture report, Delhi exported 1.6 million tonnes of both cow and buffalo meat in 2019.
However, data released by the Indian government only shows figures on the export of buffalo meat.
9.5 million buffaloes were killed for export between 2019 and 2020.
But 22.5 million cows were killed for local consumption.
The numbers show the disparities and are reportedly going up every year.
The industry is fed by not only the 110 legal buffalo slaughterhouses across India, but also by many more operating illegally.
To take his investigation to the next level, Harsha tried to interview owners of slaughterhouses.
That conversation didn’t get very far.
He reached a dead end and was warned to discontinue.
But he pressed on, visiting dairy farms, where he found buffaloes living in terrible conditions.
Buffaloes were left in their own excrement – whether standing or lying down.
Many of the animals were not permitted to graze but were often left standing in a single spot.
Harsha spoke to activists who called for a stop to animal abuse.
“Don’t keep them like we keep someone in jail” Farm Caretaker, Shivraj says.
Some urged people to adopt “Ahimsa”, a lifestyle of non-violence to both humans and animals.
The teachings promote vegetarianism.
Plant-based dairy and meat organisations also exist in India, producing milk using soy, cashew, and almond.
However, there are fears that investing more in the plant-based milk industry will harm the existing dairy and meat economies.
At some point, Harsha wondered if veganism was a practical solution.
Climate Healer Sailesh Rao says “When we go vegan, the industry will stop using animals. Then we will release more than 80 percent of the ice-free surface of the earth back to nature and let nature heal….. bringing back all the forests that we have decimated. ”
For every second spent reading this article, one cow or buffalo is killed in India.

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Horror scenes of India's dairy industry