Got Misery?
The Dairy Industry Calls It “Wholesome”
Our Investigators Caught the Icy Truth on Camera
Calves shivering in deep snow as the storm rages on. Cows left exposed with nowhere to go.
This is the dairy industry—by design.
The dairy industry is built on cruelty. It’s time to end it.
You can help expose the cruelty Dairy Management Inc. is hiding.
Stand with us to demand transparency and promote a compassionate, cruelty-free future. Let’s end this industry for good.
Read the PetitionWe, the undersigned, demand that Dairy Management Inc. stop funding whitewashing campaigns that hide cruelty from the public.
Dairy Management Inc. has spent hundreds of millions of dollars convincing us that dairy is wholesome, natural, and kind. But the truth is hidden behind their marketing machine.
Mother cows are separated from their babies. Animals are mutilated without pain relief. Lives are treated like production lines and discarded when no longer profitable.
We demand the truth.
We call on Dairy Management Inc. to publicly acknowledge the standard practices of the dairy industry—including mother-calf separation, mutilation, and the slaughter of “spent” cows—and to stop promoting these cruelties as “wholesome” in a system where animals are “well cared for.”
We request a public response from Dairy Management Inc. addressing these demands.
The era of dairy whitewashing is ending.
We deserve transparency. Animals deserve compassion.
New Footage: Calves Left Outside in Freezing Temperatures
These animals were left to endure the bitter cold.
What We Found in Winter Storm Fern’s Path
Mercy For Animals obtained new footage from an East Coast dairy farm filmed just before Winter Storm Fern hit—and again after it passed. What it reveals is chilling: calves left outdoors in freezing wind and snow, animals treated as disposable, and suffering made routine.
Calves Exposed to Extreme Weather
Many of the calves shown are barely a month old, standing in deep mud and snow with little protection from the frigid storm. While families were warned to prepare, these animals had no shelter, no escape, and nowhere to go.
Neglect That’s Standard Across Dairy
This footage reflects an industry-wide reality: calves separated from their mothers shortly after birth, isolated and denied care. Painful procedures are performed without relief, and vulnerable animals are left to endure conditions no living being should face.
A System That Fails When It Matters Most
Dairy farms sell an image of comfort and care. But when disaster strikes, the truth becomes impossible to ignore: animals are treated as replaceable units. As climate chaos grows more common, so does the question—how long can this cruelty be defended?
The Problem
To produce milk, cows must be pregnant or have just given birth. Like all mammals, cows produce milk for their babies.
At dairy farms, cows are trapped in a cycle of pregnancy, birth, and loss. Their calves are taken shortly after birth, causing stress to both mother and baby. When cows can no longer produce enough milk, they’re sent to slaughter.
This isn’t incidental—it’s the design of an industry built on profit, not compassion.
The Solution
We’re working to dismantle a cruel industry and build a kinder food system.
Our approach is simple but powerful: Reduce large-scale suffering, shift public narratives to build mass support, and decrease demand for animal products.
Join us in rejecting the dairy industry’s deception, exposing the truth, and helping create a food system rooted in justice and compassion.
What Is the Dairy Myth?
For generations, the dairy industry has sold us a story—one of happy cows, family farms, and wholesome goodness.
But behind every glass of milk is a hidden truth: routine cruelty, relentless exploitation, and million-dollar marketing campaigns designed to make it all look pure. From smiling cow cartoons to labels like “natural” and “humane,” the industry has spent decades whitewashing reality—covering up grief and suffering with nostalgia and charm.
This isn’t an accident. It’s strategy. Because if people saw what really happens behind closed doors, they’d turn away.
It’s time to end the myth. No more deception. No more cruelty masked as kindness. Let’s expose the truth—and leave dairy behind.
Dairy Management Inc. Leprino. Saputo.
Many of the ads painting dairy as wholesome are paid for by the Dairy Checkoff program, which funnels mandatory fees collected from farmers into marketing campaigns designed to boost dairy sales—no matter the cost to animals.
Dairy Management Inc. runs this million-dollar machine, selling consumers myths while companies like Leprino and Saputo cash in—pushing cheese into fast food, frozen meals, and grocery dairy cases across the country.
Behind every slice of pizza and every cup of yogurt are babies ripped from their mothers, animals mutilated without pain relief, and lives thrown away when no longer profitable.
Dairy Management Inc. doesn’t just cover up this cruelty—they sell it as “good for you.”
This is not just misleading. It’s deception.
It’s time we called it what it is. And it’s time to end it.
Three Reasons to Ditch Dairy
It Damages the Planet
Dairy farms are major methane emitters and produce millions of pounds of manure daily. Waste runoff pollutes rivers and drinking water, and many farms operate without basic pollution controls.
It Hurts Animals
Cows are forcibly impregnated, calves are taken at birth, and many cows suffer from painful udder infections. Most cows used for dairy are slaughtered at just four or five years of age when their milk production declines—far short of their natural 15- to 20-year lifespan.
It Puts Us at Risk
Over 1,000 dairy herds and dozens of dairy workers have been infected with bird flu. In April 2025, virologists writing in the Lancet observed that in mammals, bird flu viruses may develop greater ability to transmit and replicate efficiently in other mammals, potentially including humans, though this has yet to be demonstrated.
From Awareness to Action
You’ve seen the truth—here’s how to change it.
Try the 14-Day Dairy Detox
Ditch dairy. Feel better. Do better.
Get your free meal plan and explore the benefits of eating plant-based—one day at a time.
Volunteer with Us
Help end dairy cruelty.
Join a growing movement. Sign up to support the campaign online or in your community.
Make a Donation
Fuel the fight for change.
Every dollar helps expose the truth and enable work toward a dairy-free future.
Through Their Eyes
Unfiltered testimony from the brave investigators who have witnessed the dairy industry’s cruelty firsthand.“When we walked over to the maternity pen, we noticed that a calf had just been born. The mom was licking the still-wet baby while a few feet of slick, wet placenta hung from her body. The calf was attempting to stand but kept falling over. They carted off the calf while mom watched. The mother seemed reluctant to go into the parlor and kept looking at her calf in the cart behind a gate in the corner.”
—Laura, Mercy For Animals Investigator, November 2024
“The cow with ear tag #4391 was again in one of the individual corrals. She was the cow from yesterday who had a calf pulled out of her, as she was suspected of having an aborted calf. She was lying on her side, and I noticed there was no water or food near her. I placed a bucket next to her and filled it with water. Workers had found her in the hospital corral unable to stand. She was then moved to this corral. I continued checking on her, and at about 0800 hours she was no longer alive. A few minutes later, a worker arrived and attached a chain to one of her back legs. By a single leg, the worker lifted the cow into the air and moved her out of the corral. He took her out of my sight, and I did not see her again after that.”
—Ross, Mercy For Animals Investigator, August 2014
“The next cow also would not go into the stall. Worker 1 and worker 2 jabbed at and slapped her several times, but she continued trying to walk forward rather than turning into the stall. Worker 1 then came over and started jabbing her in the chest repeatedly with the lead end of a pencil. When this didn’t work, he started spraying her in the face with iodine. Worker 2 then came over and started spraying her in the face with a water hose. He continued to spray her face, legs, and feet with the hose at full pressure. When she was not moving, he started spraying the cow behind her with water as well. The water spraying lasted nearly an entire minute.”
—Jesse, Mercy For Animals Investigator, May 2015
Calling Out the Cruelty
Acclaimed chefs, authors, and influencers are casting a spotlight on an unavoidable truth: The dairy industry’s time is up.
“It took just one five-minute YouTube video called Dairy Is Scary to open my eyes to the truth of the dairy industry, and when I discovered there were tasty plant-based alternatives, it was a no-brainer for me to ditch dairy for good.”
—Giuseppe Federici
@sepps
Calling Out the Cruelty
Acclaimed chefs, authors, and influencers are casting a spotlight on an unavoidable truth: The dairy industry’s time is up.
“The hardest things for me to let go when I decided to go vegan were cheese and bacon. I was so addicted to cheese, but after watching the documentary Food Choices and realizing that we are the only species to drink milk from another species, I was done with dairy. It became clear to me that it’s neither natural nor aligned with the laws of nature.”
—Todd Anderson
@turnipvegan
Calling Out the Cruelty
Acclaimed chefs, authors, and influencers are casting a spotlight on an unavoidable truth: The dairy industry’s time is up.
“I am beyond grateful that I made the switch to only dairy-free products in 2011. Back when I was still eating dairy, my body was screaming for help. Cramps that kept me bedridden and acne-covered skin that just wouldn’t quit breaking out. But once I kissed animal products goodbye, my gut started thriving and my skin started glowing from within. Living dairy-free has been a huge game-changer for my body, my mind, and my beauty!”
—Gabrielle Reyes
@onegreatvegan
Calling Out the Cruelty
Acclaimed chefs, authors, and influencers are casting a spotlight on an unavoidable truth: The dairy industry’s time is up.
“I’m a private chef, and vegan milk hasn’t just replaced dairy milk; it’s an improvement on it. With all of the different flavors and textures, vegan milk gives me so much versatility. I use cashew milk in sauces, coconut milk in curry, oat milk or macadamia milk for chocolaty desserts, hemp milk for protein recipes, or if I just want to simplify things, then soy milk is a great overall choice. I cook for a lot of non-vegans, and frankly they don’t care about the vegan message; they just care about food that tastes good, and they keep coming back for my food, so it must be good.”
—Mario Fabbri
@mariofabbrichef
An Estimated 68% of the World’s Population Has Trouble Digesting Dairy
So why are we still calling it essential?
Join the 14-Day Dairy Detox and get delicious recipes, easy meal ideas, and tips on making the switch to feel-good food that’s better for animals, your health, and the planet.
With few federal protections for farmed animals, cruelty runs rampant in our food system. But thanks to advocates like you, we’re exposing the truth and pushing for lasting change. As the fight continues, so does the need for support.
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