Dairy Industry Essay

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The Australian Dairy industry enhances the lives of the regional Australian community as it provides money, employment and resources. The majority of dairy farmers work close to farming areas, and as a consequence generating economic action in country areas. The dairy industry consists of processing raw milk from dairy producing animals in order to manufacture goods such as milk, cheese, butter, ice cream, yoghurt and whey and milk powder; just to name a few. Dairy products play a pivotal role in the lives of many, making the dairy industry one of great importance as the demand for dairy products is very high. There are more than 1.6 million dairy cows in Australia, each producing an average of 5,000 litres of milk per year, with 6,000 Australian …show more content…

All around Australia, there are eight dairying regions, each with their own conditions and requirements. Dairy Australia set up Regional Development Programs (RDPs) in the 1990s to cater for these varying requirements. While RDPs receive funding and support from Dairy Australia, they are independent entities who act on what’s best for their region. Gippsland, Western Victoria, Murray region, Tasmania, Subtropical, NSW, SA, WA. Dairy farming is very prominent in Queensland, Australia, as the tropical climate and conditions are ideal for producing the best milk for dairy products. The dairy industry is one of Australia’s biggest …show more content…

For the sake of milk products, the Australian dairy industry discards hundreds of thousands of unwanted week old calves as ‘waste products’ every year. Around 400,000 "bobby" calves are sent to an abattoir for slaughter and a further large (but unknown) number of male calves are killed on farm in their first few days of life. Their plight is a consequence of their reliance and demand on their mother’s milk. Dairy cows are kept pregnant for almost the whole year as that is what produces the milk for human consumption. Bobby cows are born for one reason and that is to keep their mothers producing milk to keep up with the demand of human milk consumption and after the calves have been born, the dairy industry has no use for them. This is not only unjust and inhumane for the calves, it also has a serious effect on the mother cow. The female dairy cow is subjected to a continuous harsh cycle of milking, calving and impregnation. This constant cycle is exhausting work, pushing the dairy cow to her physical limits, taking a seriously negative toll on her body. This relentless, on-going and sustained work, as a result, makes mother cows become defenceless to painful diseases like lameness and mastitis; both diseases having a negative impact on fertility. As a result of dairy cows being susceptible to these diseases, this can lead to an increased proportion of cows being culled as a consequence of not

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