Cruelty-Free Milk and Cheese: Are They Really Humane?

More and more people are trying to avoid cruel factory farms. Many are starting to choose “humane” milk and dairy. But how do you know if a product is really cruelty-free? What do all the labels mean? Can “happy milk” from “happy cows” be real?

The best cruelty-free certifications for milk products are Animal Welfare Approved (AWA) and Certified Humane. But even with these labels, some cruel practices are allowed on dairy farms—including castration without pain relief and the traumatic separation of mother and calf.

After reading this post, you’ll have a clear idea of what these different labels mean. You’ll also learn about a shocking investigation of real conditions found on an organic dairy farm. Then you can make an informed decision about what to buy or not buy.

How Much Better is “Humane Milk” than Factory Farmed Milk?

Outrage about cruel practices on factory farms is growing.

And a lot of people are wondering if they need to boycott animal products entirely, or just switch to “humane” versions.

Indeed, no U.S. federal law protects farmed animals on factory farms. This has led to animal welfare standards getting lower and lower over time, as farmers focus on maximizing profit. (source)

There are many labels and certification programs that try to ensure animal welfare on farms. Some of these labels do provide improvements. I’ll lay out the best certifications later in this post. (click to skip ahead)

But even when the best standards are met… some parts of the dairy industry are inherently exploitative. Plus, there is evidence of cruelty even on some “organic” dairy farms.

So before we get to specific labels, let’s cover these examples of cruelty even in “humane” dairy.

Inherent Exploitation in Dairy Farming

There are certain aspects of dairy farming that can arguably never be “humane” or “cruelty-free.” That’s because these are necessary steps to any milk production for human consumption.

Let’s look at a few of these.

1. Forced Impregnation

The dairy industry is dependent on the forced impregnation of cows.

Without pregnancy and birth, there is no milk.

Female cows are typically impregnated at 12-14 months old, just after they’ve hit puberty.

For this, a restraining apparatus holds a female cow. Then a person typically inserts their arm into the cow’s rectum to position the uterus.

Once they’ve done this, an instrument is forced into her vagina to inseminate her with semen.

The semen of bulls is typically collected in a strange, unnatural way, too. Castrated males are used as “stand-ins” for females. This is because the bodies of female cows can’t stand the stress of being repeatedly mounted by bulls.

Every female cow lives through an endless cycle of forced impregnation, pregnancy, birth, lactation, a brief drying off period, and then impregnation again.

Eventually, they’re deemed “spent” and sent to the slaughterhouse. (source)

The simple reality is that we can never get “consent” from any nonhuman animal, including from cows. Even when animals seem willing to exchange with us, or when we “treat them well”… there’s never informed consent because the level of communication is so low.

For many feminists, this issue is especially moving. Even non-vegan feminists have written op-eds lamenting how dairy is an issue of female bodies being exploited and oppressed.

In the organic dairy investigation I share below, they found examples of violent artificial insemination occuring. But even without the “violent” aspect, it would still be an un-consenting situation. I’ve written more on this here.

2. Separation of Mother and Calf

Research has shown that the mother-child bond isn’t exclusive to humans. At any dairy farm, there are separations of mother cows and their baby calves.

This may happen at different times and in different ways. But in all cases, the calf is taken away, and the mother gets milked for the profit of someone else.

The grief experienced by both mother and calf is significant. It continues long after the moment of separation, and both mother and child often cry out for one another. (source, source)

To me, this is the saddest thing in all of animal agriculture. And yes, it happens on organic and “humane” dairy farms, too.

3. Premature Death of Male Calves for Veal

The success of the veal industry is dependent on the dairy industry. It’s even considered a part of the dairy industry. (source)

The male calves killed for veal are originally born due to the needed pregnancies for dairy farming.

When a cow births a calf, it can either be male or female. If it’s female, it’ll be raised until it’s ready for impregnation, and then enter the dairy cycle, like its mother.

For male calves, a small percentage stay on the farm to be raised for semen production. The rest are either slaughtered and processed as “bob veal” immediately… or raised for 16-18 weeks to be killed and sold as “milk-fed,” “special-fed,” “formula-fed,” or “humane” veal.

Either way, a premature death awaits. (source, source)

Some of the “humane” labels below may require calves to be raised to an older age before slaughter. Some require calves have more space to live. Or that they live in a pen with other calves and a surrogate mother, as opposed to living in a crate alone.

But most humane standards don’t focus much on veal.

4. Confinement of Cows

Cows on dairy farms are confined all their lives.

Sometimes, labels like “Grass Fed” can be misleading in this regard. Just because a cow is fed with grass, that doesn’t necessarily mean it lives most of its life outdoors. They can be fed with grass indoors, and it still counts as “Grass Fed.”

At some “humane” farms, cows may actually have more space to live and interact. They may have outdoor access, or get to live their whole lives outside.

But it’s still typically a lot less area than a cow could roam in a naturally lived life.

5. Premature Death of All Cows at The Slaughterhouse

Unfortunately, all dairy cows, no matter how humane their life has been, are killed once they’re considered “spent.”

This is usually when they’re about five years old. This is still very young, as cows naturally live into their 20s. (source)

But after a few cycles of pregnancy, birth, and lactation, all dairy cows are “spent.” At this point, disease and reproductive problems are common. So they are killed, usually in terrifying slaughterhouses, in a process not guaranteed to be painless.

Click here to watch one of the more emotional videos I’ve seen of cows waiting in line to be killed at a slaughterhouse. This is NOT a bloody or gory video… but it’s very emotional because you can clearly see this cow is scared and doesn’t want to go.

This inevitable end result of premature death is routine on “humane” dairy farms, too—not just factory farms.

Evidence of Cruelty at an Organic Dairy Farm

Besides the exploitative aspects above, many cows suffer additional cruelty from workers or specific practices.

The most significant evidence of this at a “humane” dairy farm was the Animal Recovery Mission (ARM) investigation. This investigation exposed cruelty at Natural Prairie Dairy in Channing, Texas, in 2019.

This was the first cruelty investigation into an organic dairy in the U.S. You can watch footage from the investigation here.

This investigation found:

• Repeated violent artificial insemination.
• Painful force-feeding of cows suffering from infections and lameness who wouldn’t eat.
• Caging of newborn calves for up to three months.
• Overcrowded, feces-ridden indoor housing.

It also uncovered incidents of cows being:

• Stabbed with screwdrivers
• Beaten with shovels
• Kicked and dragged, including by the head, when they were too weak to stand
• Painful “flaming” of cows that had just given birth
• At least one cow that tried fleeing workers while giving birth.

Some humane labels can improve the lives of cows on dairy farms… but this investigation showed that cruelty to animals can still happen at “organic” farms.

I share this to emphasize the importance of not just trusting all “humane” labels. Many of them are just marketing terms—not actual, audited certifications.

So What Do All These Labels Mean?

So let’s say you’re willing to take a chance with “humane” dairy products. What labels or certifications will give you the best chance of getting actually cruelty-free cheese or milk?

There are two main types of standards you’ll see on “humane” milk and dairy products:

1. USDA approved standards like “grass-fed,” “organic,” or “humanely raised.”
2. Independent certification programs like Animal Welfare Approved or Certified Humane.

The independent certification programs generally provide stronger proof of animal welfare. A lot of the USDA terms are sloppy and defined by the farms themselves.

But let’s cover all these potential kinds of labels—so you know which ones are bogus and which are good.

USDA Approved Standards

As mentioned above, most USDA approved standards are defined by dairy producers.

Dairy farmers define the standards, then submit documentation as proof that they’re adhering to their self-defined standard. They then place a clarifying description (or a web link with clarification) of the term on product packaging. (source, source)

That is usually all that’s required.

The USDA does not define these standards. And generally, the USDA does not audit the farms to check that dairy producers are meeting the requirements of their term. (source, source).

This means there is very little accountability about what is written is on a product label. With the possible exception of USDA Organic, these are essentially just marketing terms.

Let’s cover some of the terms you may see on milk products. These are ranked from most useful to least useful.

1. Organic

The USDA Organic standard is one of the few USDA terms with a legal U.S. definition specifying how a product is made, what’s in it, and animal welfare.

This appears to be the only USDA standard where inspections of farms are actually done (source, source).

So, there’s a better chance of farmers actually adhering to it.

Conditions of USDA Organic dairy:

• Animals are only fed organic grass or grain with no by-products
• Growth hormones and antibiotics are prohibited
• Animals must be allowed to graze on pasture for 120+ days per year
• Living conditions must include shade, shelter, an exercise area, fresh air, clean drinking water, direct sunlight, and clean and dry bedding at a suitable temperature

The downside? Space requirements lack definition. And many animal welfare issues aren’t addressed. Mutilations, castration without pain relief, inhumane transport, and slaughterhouse procedures aren’t accounted for. (source, source)

Some dairy farmers also complain that the rigid ban on antibiotics actually worsens animal welfare. If a cow gets sick, they can’t be given antibiotics, even in that case—so they must be sold to a conventional farm with likely worse conditions.

The verdict: There are some strong benefits to the USDA Organic standard. But if you’re looking for a truly humane product, it may not be enough. For the best assurance, look for independent certifications like AWA below.

2. Raised with Care, Sustainably Raised, or Humanely Raised

This category would also include terms like: Pasture-Raised, Raised with Environmental Stewardship, Pasture Fed, Pasture Grown, Meadow Raised, and Naturally Raised.

These terms could definitely provide some improved welfare conditions for dairy cows. But definitions vary for each term. So unless you check with the USDA for the specific term you’ve found, it’s hard to know what it means. (source, source)

3. Hormone-Free, rBGH-free, rBST-free, or No Hormones Added

These mean the cows didn’t get artificial hormones to increase their milk production. This is good for the cow’s health (and yours). But these terms don’t tell us anything else about the actual conditions on the farm. (source)

4. Grass-Fed, Forage Fed, or Vegetarian Feed

Under this standard, weaned animals must only be fed grass, forbs, or pre-grains.

But animals can actually be fed this grass indoors, in factory farm conditions—with no consideration of other welfare concerns. Plus, they can be switched to eating grain the day before they’re killed to fatten them up—and still qualify as Grass-Fed.

The only welfare benefit to this label is that cows fed this diet are less likely to suffer from gastrointestinal disorders and liver abscesses, compared to cows on regular factory farm diets. (source, source)

5. Natural

Many consumers would assume that this has something to do with animal welfare, particularly their living conditions. But this label has nothing to do with the treatment of cows.

A “Natural” label only refers to food products that have been minimally processed, with no artificial ingredients. (