More milk is produced in the United States than is needed and can be processed, and so farmers they throw it down the drain: We’re in the Upper Midwest where, according to some spokespeople, the Milwaukee wastewater treatment system has found itself handling large amounts of cow’s milk. Even if it is not possible to quantify it precisely, we still talk about it Enough to fill 50 trailers per day,
According to Bloomberg, this would be a situation that has been going on for some time, even months ago some videos (later removed) were published on social networks showing farmers dumping large amounts of milk in fields. Was shown to have happened.
Milk demand is falling, farmers are throwing it away
Given that Wisconsin is known as the largest cheese-producing state in the United States—and accounts for 90% of the milk used for its production—some of the problems associated with the difficulty of processing plants are already some. Appearing on time. In managing to increase production, also because most manufacturers rely on third parties. It is also added that it has also been registered over time Huge drop in demand for cow’s milk in the regionCausing producers to deal with large surpluses on a daily basis – it is believed that the peak production month so far has been May.
Hence, a vicious cycle, which not only leads to a steep fall in prices, but also leads to actual wastage of milk in huge quantities that no one can manage. This had already happened during the pandemic, when sudden closures of restaurants and schools upset the balance between supply and demand, forcing producers to dispose of excess milk. However, according to estimates, Production is increasing instead of decreasing,
ethical questions
Apparently, the condition affecting Wisconsin is not isolated and will, in fact, be widespread in the United States; More and more people (especially young people) are choosing plant-based alternatives to ethical, sustainability and health issues, but the industry does not give up – and this has been demonstrated by the many Got Milk campaigns involving famous people, most recently Hailey Bieber – while the state continues to finance the livestock sector.
Given the enormous amount of cow’s milk being wasted, it is impossible to ignore the ethical question associated with its production: even if it enjoys an “excellent reputation” – associated with a type of communication that has always mystified reality. The production of milk is different from the milk available in any other farm. Exploitation, abuse and deprivation are components of this type of productive activity, which It forces millions of animals to live (and very soon die) in the service of humans,
If this is unacceptable in itself, it becomes more so when the milk is dumped down the drains, made the diversion of intensive production virtually an end in itself,
ALSO READ: British farmers are campaigning heavily on TikTok to promote dairy consumption and fight ‘vegan misinformation’