Nanny State: The Truth about Goats' Milk

The Truth about Goats' Milk

A Viva! undercover investigation uncovers the death, mutilation and disease that goes into producing goats' cheese tartlet (not to mention the pus, fat and cancer promoters).

Goats' milk comes from happy animals on small rural farms. Right? Well, that's what the industry wants you to believe. However, you don't have to scratch very far beneath the surface to find a far more unpalatable truth. In short, the kids are not all right.

Viva! goes undercover: painful mutilations, such as castration and disbudding, are the order of the day on many British goat farms.

Many people switch from cows' milk to goat because they think it's more humane. The irony is that all the problems that exist to produce cows' milk exist in goat farming, too. Mothers and kids are separated after a few days so her milk can be taken. Females are used to replenish the herd, but males can't produce milk - they are either killed at birth or kept for meat for the growing ethnic market. Almost all kid goats suffer at least one painful mutilation - and often without anaesthetic.

Worried about zero-grazing for cows? It's already here for goats. Many herds run to over a thousand animals and these inquisitive, fun loving animals are increasingly housed all year round in intensive sheds.

Viva! goes undercover: forget small scale. Many goat herds in Britain now run to the thousands.

But surely goats' milk is healthier? Think again. The claims by goats' milk manufacturers don't stand up to scrutiny. It has virtually the same lactose content as cows' milk; it is unlikely to be less allergenic and also, just like cows' milk, goats' milk contains growth factor IGF-1 and oestrogen - both of which can increase the risk of certain cancers. Goats' milk is also high in saturated fat and generally contains a higher amount of somatic cells than cows' milk. In other words contains even more pus. Yuck!

If you are looking to cut cows' milk out of your diet do yourself - and the goats - a favour and reach for the soya, rice or oat milk instead.

> More on milk alternatives

> Watch "Nanny State", our shocking undercover film

> Read our new, fully referenced report

> Read the Daily Mail article