I mean seriously? I thought this was a joke when I first read about it in yesterday’s newspaper.
For a start I think drinking cows milk is really weird. I know that most people do not agree with me but drinking another animal’s milk is just not natural. That milk is produced for calves not for human babies (or human adults for that matter). Would you drink milk from a cat or a dog? I didn’t think so.
I have to look at dairy farming from an animal cruelty point of view as well. Many people say that milking a cow actually helps the animal because if you didn’t get rid of the excess milk in the cows body then it would be in pain. I’m not buying it. Cows (like humans) produce enough milk to feed their calves. Have you ever wondered why cows constantly produce this milk? Calves are taken from their mothers when they are born, causing stress to both individuals. Female calves are either killed or kept to grow and be dairy cows. Male calves are put in stalls so that veal can be produced (a whole other animal welfare issue). All this so we can have milk in our coffee.
Anyway, I digress! The reason scientists are genetically modifying cows is that many children are allergic to certain proteins in the milk. I do not find this a very good reason to fool around with a cow’s genes. There are a whole range of milks out there that are not only free of these proteins but are better for both the environment and the animal. Off the top of my head there are soya, almond, hazelnut, coconut, rice, oat… the list goes on.
Apparently the genetically modified milk actually contains more of the other proteins found in milk which are also harmful to a large percentage of the population. Another reason why it is a waste of time!
Surely it is more beneficial to encourage people who cannot digest milk to drink a healthier, more environmentally friendly alternative which will cause them no harm?
Writing Beckles 