Stomach-Churning Facts About Feta

Did you know that feta is made of milk meant for lambs or (goat) kids? The dairy industry exploits not only mother cows but also sheep, goats, buffaloes, and camels. Being made from sheep’s (and sometimes goat’s) milk doesn’t make feta any better than any other dairy cheese when it comes to cruelty to animals. Whomever it comes from, dairy cheese is made from mother’s milk intended for her baby.

Rape, Abduct, Steal, Repeat

Just like humans, animals exploited by the dairy industry must give birth in order to produce milk. That milk is meant for their babies. This means that all animals farmed for dairy are repeatedly forcibly impregnated (raped), and after they give birth, their baby is taken from them so that humans can steal their milk. They will endure this multiple times until they’re considered “spent” and sent for slaughter.

Sheep may be impregnated with the help of this “sperminator” machine –this is VILE. 😡 pic.twitter.com/ToDY7Ea7gZ

— PETA UK (@PETAUK) 10 April 2019

Days-old lambs may be isolated and fed a milk substitute from an automated feeder, denied the opportunity to suckle while their mothers are hooked up to mechanical milking machines. Male lambs will be slaughtered for meat. Females will likely follow their mother’s grim fate.

Cruelty Is the Norm

Sheep used for milk are often also exploited for their flesh and wool. Sheep and goats put out to pasture in Greece, where feta originates, are often hobbled – their legs are tied together to prevent them from wandering far, which can fracture or dislocate their legs, cause tendonitis or deep wounds, and prevent them from lying down. These animals are also left exposed to the elements, and many have died from being unable to escape from floods or fire.

Numerous investigations show that whenever animals are farmed for profit – even when facilities claim “ethical”, “high-welfare”, or other such meaningless certifications – they are abused. Industry-led standards exist not to protect animals but to comfort consumers, persuading them to continue buying the products of industries that are inherently cruel. Wherever animals are exploited for profit, they are treated like a commodity – used and abused in ways that are legal, such as cutting off their tails, castrating them without painkillers, and punching holes in their ears, and illegal, such as beating, punching, throwing, and stamping on them.

All the mothers and babies exploited in the dairy industry are ultimately subjected to a violent death at an abattoir.

Breeding Sheep and Goats Is Bad for the Planet

Breeding sheep and goats for their milk generates huge quantities of methane – a potent greenhouse gas. Sheep and goats are ruminant animals, which means they have multiple stomach chambers and digest their food via enteric fermentation. As a result, they release enormous amounts of methane gas into the atmosphere. One sheep can produce about 30 litres of methane each day.

Methane has up 36 times the impact of carbon dioxide in a 100-year period, and over the first 20 years after it reaches the atmosphere, it’s 84 to 86 times more potent. Despite this, there’s no standard approach to monitoring, recording, or reporting methane emissions.

Sheep and goats used for their milk emit around 130 million tonnes of carbon dioxide–equivalent gases globally, while grazing also degrades soil and robs lands of biodiversity.

Eat Vegan Feta Instead

Vegan cheeses spare animals the heartbreak and abuse they face in the dairy industry and have a much lower impact on the planet. They are also free of nasties like cholesterol and lower in saturated fat and calories than those made from the milk of another species.

If you want a tangy, briny addition to your salad, why “nut” try I Am Nut OK’s Fetamorphosis Vegan Feta Block, Violife’s Greek White Block, or supermarkets’ own feta-style vegan cheeses? There are vegan cheeses available for all kinds of dishes and uses and even thousands of recipes online to make your own.

PETA’s Ultimate Guide to Vegan Cheese

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