Wednesday, November 25, 2015

The Absurdity of Glanbia Dairy Winning A Sustainability Award

Prestigious Award in the Category of Sustainability
Misuse of Fresh water
I want to give everyone a laugh this morning albeit in an exasperated, No Way! sort of a way: Glanbia Dairy WON the Bord Bia Sustainability Award! It takes over 1000 litres of water to produce one litre of milk. And then more to process the milk and add the vitamin D. what a ludicrous product and company to choose. Statistics on the misuse of scarce resources in Animal Agriculture
It couldn't be less sustainable. It was a massive all expenses paid awards ceremony, I wonder if it was sponsored by Glanbia. Sounds likely!

Environmental Damage by Animal Agriculture
Animal Agriculture is already responsible for 51% of Ireland's CO2 emissions. 40% of fresh water is used by animal agriculture (…maybe Shell have now taken over some of that percentage, using our fresh water to clean their fracked gas in Mayo. No doubt they'll win an award next year!)


Dairy Industry Expanding - Products Swiftly Devalued 
Herds are increasing because of the end of the dairy quota, price of milk devalued. 


Toxifying The Human Body 

Sustainability has another aspect which is to do with human health. The casein (dairy protein) is in every product nearly unless you cook your own food. It is also used to wrap pills. Unfortunately casein is highly carcinogenic. 
Exploiting the Animals

So Glanbia is a toxic wasteland of processes and ingredients that are damaging our environment, ruining the lives of farmers, consumers and lets not forget the poor cows themselves.

 who's calves are whipped away, in order for Glanbia and the Kerry Conglomerate and friends to exploit every scrap of their lactation!

But then we know that Bord Bia are not remotely interested in sustainability anyway. They frown on organic products as they fear that they will show up and expose that their own 'Green' Range is in no shape or form organic. It has been sprayed, it has been preserved, it hasn't been fairly traded. It is only green because it comes from Ireland. Which is a guarantee that holds no criteria of quality. I would not trust that it even comes from Ireland, when it comes to animal agriculture. There are no limits to the corruption and greed!! Well done Glanbia!

Oh yes and Dawn Meats were up for an award as well. Larry Hagman - can that be his name? didn't even recall their mad ecoli products when his supplier told him that they could be lethal.

So I meditated this morning and the topic was forgiveness. I asked forgiveness for those I haven't treated well, I forgave myself and then the guided meditation by Lucinda Drayton said to call to mind someone who has caused me pain. Simon Coveney came to mind. His treatment of good people, his militarizing of Ireland by joining us up to NATO, his Kim Jung Un dream to make Ireland the drone capital of the world and test weapons here. His lifting of the ban on live exports of farm animals. His distribution of licenses to the worst animal testing culture in Europe. 80% for commercial gain. Simes special licenses allow companies to test without anesthetic. 820,000 animals a year. The sick reality of a minister in charge of animal welfare and animal agriculture and defense. The fact that that isn't even a conflict of interests for him as he cares only about his own position. This government agrees and licenses any systematic abuse that brings them money. There is not a shred of principle or consideration in any one of their decision making processes. 

So my loathing of this all came to a head with the vision of Simes arriving into my meditation. Desperate tears ran from my eyes as I held a space for all the suffering that happens and will happen at his hands or at his blind eye. Or at the delegated hands of his 'vets'. These vets bully farmers about tags and other details but oversee and overlook the daily slaughter of thousands of animals. 1 million pigs a month and more sheep and slightly less cows (This was just in England, these were the last stats I saw) and then a couple of ads found today for Abattoir-Based Artificial Insemination Training, fully Supervised by department vets. This is where you can see the picture of the rape-rack that they say doesn't exist. But if you want milk, you need a pregnant cow and I can guarantee there is no consent…except from the Minister to do what you want to who you want.

So anyway, I managed to forgive him and glad not to hold on to all that bad feeling anymore. Now, can we get them out of government and get a responsible adult in or a leader or even, may I be forgiven, a real human being!!
  

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