Do any other vegetarians out there have the feeling of guilt when eating dairy products but simply can’t imagine being vegan?

I’ve had discussion upon discussion over the months around the use of “Ethical” when using dairy products in cooking. I’ve come to understand that ethical is quite a controversial word but it is relevant to each individual and circumstance. If your an ethical meat eater then eating locally, well reared and organic meat is ethical. It goes to say then that as an ethical vegetarian it’s imperative to stick to dairy that is local and organic. Organic milk has been proven to be better for you, better for the environment and most of all better welfare for the animals producing the milk.

Compassion in World Farming are fighting a huge battle to stop a MEGA DAIRY FARM from being built in Wales. If the fight is lost then we could see a farm with herds of up to 1000 cows kept indoors for the majority of their lives under cruel and harsh conditions, not to mention the environmental/health impact of having such a large amount of cows in such a confined space. I believe the reasons for such a crazy project is down to the consumers drive for cheaper and cheaper food therefore bypassing the sustainable and natural products that have to cost that little bit more to be financially viable. Do we really want another version of the battery chicken farms that are now being banned  to be replicated onto our cows?

Battery cow farm video – An example of what’s to come if we don’t stand up now!

As a vegetarian I’m fully aware of the impact that eating dairy produce does to the environment and the welfare of animals which is probably why I get this horrible feeling of guilt if I’m ever confronted with produce from these mega farms, so living where I do I support my two local and organic dairy suppliers, Calon Wen and Daioni, two great businesses that we should be proud of here in Wales. Take some time to visit their websites and see what it is that they are doing that is different to conventional farming practises.

Thanks for reading