Cows are causing problems.

Dairy farming is no longer a few cattle casually grazing grassy meadows, their milk being collected into a wooden pale by the milkmaid to share with the village. It's mass, industrial farming of livestock to produce an enormous 909 million tons of milk a year (WWF. 2019). And it's not such a pretty picture. Tearing down forests to create space for these hefty animals and their feed, only to watch their manure pollute the land and their farts pollute the skies. The cows are pumped full of antibiotics and forced into pregnancy, all to produce a glass of milk. It is obscene. 

So Real Deal Milk is leaving the cows in the past but bringing their milk to the future. 

How do cows produce so much pollution? 

Greenhouse gases (GHG) are bursting from the dairy industry. Taking responsibility for 4% of the GHG emitted by humans (FAO. 2010), mainly as carbon dioxide (CO2), nitrous oxide (N2O) and methane (CH4). These gases are warming our atmosphere and the consequences are beginning to appear, as we watch sea levels rise and freak weather events occur, only set to worsen as the planet gets hotter. 

CO2 raises its ugly head along every step of the milk-making process, from transporting the cattle to processing their milk. Whereas CH4 production mainly comes from the back end of a cow. Plenty of munching down feed means lots of digesting; this process produces CH4 ready to be farted out into the atmosphere or pooped out in manure that releases CH4 when it decomposes (FAO. 2019). Also contained in cow pats and cow's pee is N2O, and these animals are pooing and peeing a lot. A whole 17 gallons worth of the stuff is excreted every day by just one cow (WWF. 2019)! If this waste isn't managed correctly, off it runs to pollute waterways and wildlife habitats. 

Much to our relief, yeast cells don't create huge mounds of manure and are far less gassy than cows, so we can bring the total GHG down drastically. 

What's going on with all the land and water use? 

These large animals need a large amount of water, food and space, all coming at a cost. 

Water is a precious resource we take for granted in the Western world, just turn the tap and you've got a constant supply. This is not the case for billions of people worldwide who struggle to access clean water. While people are battling for freshwater supplies, the agriculture industry is the world's largest consumer, using up 70% of freshwater resources (Thornton, P.K. 2010). It's unsurprising that so much water is used when you learn that 144 litres of water are needed to produce just 1 litre of milk; how inefficient is that?! 

It's not that the cows are gulping down litres of water; the problem is watering the crops required to feed the cows, and that's where 93% of this water total goes (WWF. 2019). 

These crops are also responsible for extensive land use. Global agriculture uses up 38% of land across the globe and one-third of this is used for crops (FAO. 2020). Think about how big the world is; that's a lot of land that could be used to produce other crops to feed humans. 

So alternative proteins choose to skip out the inefficient, resource greedy cow in the middle, saving on land and water!

What's life like for a dairy cow?

Bleak. 

In mass dairy farms, milk production equals profit and where profit comes into play, cows welfare does not. Not at the fault of the farmers, the price of milk has become so low that they are forced to drain the cows of every drop of milk, to make any profit at all. 

Therefore, the cows often find themselves in a cramped space and living under stressful conditions. Where they are impregnated as much as possible but their calf is ripped from their side at birth. A traumatic experience, repeated three or four times, before being killed when their milk production starts slacking. A normal cow could live a jolly 20 or more years, but not in these places. Their life is cut down considerably to the age of 6 (CIWF. 2012). 

How do these farming practices put humans at risk?

The agricultural industry doesn't just put cows in harm's way, but humans as well. 

Antibiotic resistance is a major concern. Antibiotics are our primary weapon in fighting infections but we've started taking advantage of them, and this comes at a price. The poor conditions found on farms are prime places to facilitate the spread of disease. Instead of addressing the real problem and improving conditions, a temporary band aid has been stuck over the top. This bandaid is antibiotics, and their increasing prevalence on farms is worrying. The more antibiotics are used, the higher the risk of bacteria becoming resistant to them, putting farmworkers and consumers at risk of exposure to bacteria resistant to antibiotics (Antibiotic Research UK. 2020). 

Another concern is pandemic risk. 2020 shocked us all with the devastation that such an event can generate. As our lives are becoming more entwined with the lives of animals, the potential for disease transmission increases. Three in four new infectious diseases in humans begin in animals (PETA), and the agricultural industry plays a prominent role. Whether it's through an infected farmworker or the consumption of an infected animal, pathogens are standing their ground in the farming industry. Before we know it we could have another pandemic on our hands.

The use and abuse of animals for the benefit of humans was bound to come with consequences. So by limiting this close relationship through alternative manufacturing processes, it allows for increased public health protection. 

Why don't we just eat plants? 

Plants are great, but sometimes they just can't match up.

The plant-based milk industry is blossoming; every nut or seed in sight is being milked. However, they fall short in comparison to the nutritiousness and deliciousness of cow's milk. If you've ever tried vegan cheese, you'll agree that plants aren't always up to the job, and sometimes their environmental impact isn't as low as one would hope. 

Whereas cultured milk is ready for the task by copying the nutritional composition of cow's milk and every other property to excite the senses. From the luscious white appearance to the rich flavour, you won't be able to spot the difference. 

Traditionally dairy farming isn't just causing a few problems here and there; it's causing destruction. We're exhausting natural resources and emitting GHG like there's no tomorrow. And if we carry on at this rate, there may not be a tomorrow. 

Real Deal Milk provides the solutions the dairy industry needs, bypassing almost every major issue with dairy by excluding the cows and welcoming in the microbes. Although these microbes may be tiny, the benefits that they can bring are tremendous. 

References 

Antibiotic Research UK. 2020. Antibiotic resistance in farming and agriculture.
https://www.antibioticresearch.org.uk/about-antibiotic-resistance/antibiotic-resistance-farming/

CIWF. 2012. The life of: dairy cows. https://www.ciwf.org.uk/media/5235185/The-Life-of-Dairy-cows.pdf

FAO. 2010. Greenhouse gas emissions from the dairy sector: A lifecycle assessment. http://www.fao.org/3/k7930e/k7930e00.pdf

FAO. 2019. Climate change and the global dairy cattle sector The role of the dairy sector in a low-carbon future. http://www.fao.org/3/ca2929en/ca2929en.pdf

FAO.2020. Land use in agriculture by the numbers. http://www.fao.org/sustainability/news/detail/en/c/1274219/

PETA. No date. Animal agriculture increases the risk of pandemics. https://www.peta.org/issues/animals-used-for-food/animals-used-food-factsheets/animal-agriculture-and-pandemics/

Thornton, P.K. 2010. Livestock production: recent trends, future prospects. Biological Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1098/rstb.2010.0134

WWF. 2019. Milks impact on the environment. https://www.worldwildlife.org/magazine/issues/winter-2019/articles/milk-s-impact-on-the-environment