Cows being kicked and hit with poles. Cows being sworn at and then whipped with chains. Cows slipping on a floor strewn with excrement, as they run away in fear and confusion.

These videos of animal abuse were released last week by the Independent newspaper.¹ They were taken at a farm producing milk for Marks & Spencer, the high street retailer, and the German dairy brand Muller. What makes these scenes even more appalling is that the farm was endorsed by the RSPCA, the charity devoted to protecting animals.

In response, the RSPCA suspended sales from the farm while investigating the footage. Along with Muller, all three organisations have released statements saying this behaviour falls far short of their standards.

The videos were taken back in 2022. Standards may have changed and employees may have moved on. But Joey Carbstrong, the activist who planted the cameras, believes such behaviour is inevitable, given that "the dairy industry views sentientAble to perceive or feel things. animals as machines to be exploited until exhaustion".²

Many people have a moral objection to killing animals for meat, yet still consume dairy products. But, as Abigail Penny, a spokeswoman for Animal Equality argues, "there is no ethical way to consume dairy milk".³

For example, dairy farms are often industrial operations where cows are kept in poor conditions. Cows are deliberately impregnatedTo have saturated something with a particular substance, or to have made a female animal pregnant. each year to keep producing milk, their calves taken away from them and the male ones often slaughtered for food.  

Of course, becoming vegan also causes problems. Animal products are much more nutritionally dense than a lot of vegetable equivalents. This is why most vegans take vitamin supplements and have a greater risk of anaemia or low bone density.⁴

Vegan diets also come with ethical concerns. The staples of vegan eating - vegetables and grains - can be intensively farmed using chemical fertiliser or pesticides. Fruit, nuts, and exotic products like avocados are often imported, resulting in larger carbon footprints.

But for many vegans, the possible cost to our health or the environment matters much less than the suffering of animals. The best way to prevent the horrifying videos shared with the Independent is to stop eating animal products, including dairy.

Besides, cows show many of the same qualities as humans. They are intelligent, form life-long friendships, and grieve when they lose loved-ones. They can even communicate, moving their heads to convey "a variety of physical messages".⁵

At least, this is the argument of Rosamund Young, who wrote the best-selling book, The Secret Life of Cows. Young is a cattle farmer, whose animals feed on grass and live outdoors for much of the year. Like many farmers, she believes that keeping livestock is vital for restoring biodiversity.

Even though Young loves and respects her cows enough to write a book about them, they are also farmed for meat. She shows that animals can still be treated well, even if they will be eaten one day.

Should we all go vegan?

Yes: If you want to stop the suffering of animals, it is not enough to stop eating meat. Dairy farms also cause harm to cows, as these videos make painfully clear.

No: Animal products, some say, are much richer in nutrients than their plant equivalents. And a plant-based diet can have environmental costs that vegans will often overlook.

Or... It is possible to treat animals well even if they are being farmed for milk or food. In fact, this may be vital to rebuilding biodiverse ecosystems.