https://www.dreamstime.com/photos-images/cows-farm-india.html 

Outline

1. Good to See Numbers
2. Actual Numbers
3. life of a dairy Cow looks like

Good to See Numbers

India is the world's largest milk Producer.

• India produced 239 million tonnes of milk in 2023-24
• It has 300 million dairy cows and buffaloes - the largest herd on the planet
• It contributes 25% of global milk supply
• The market is projected to nearly double in size by 2032

By any economic measure, this is a success story. 
It supports 80 million farmers, anchors rural livelihoods, and feeds a population of 1.4 billion.

Actual Numbers

As Discussed above, India has 300 million dairy cows and buffaloes. Most of them live in small family farms. But their condition is not right. 

1. Study Published in 2020 observed 38 Dairy farms in Kerala and found something different.
   1. 100% of cows were tied through a hole pierced in their nose
   2. On 50% of farms, animals were tied indoors for the entire day
   3. Only 22% of farms gave animals free access to water at all times
   4. Food access was restricted to an average of 4.3 hours per day
2. Access to clean water is one of freedoms for Animal welfare, Most basic. But majority of the farms have failed it.
3. Talking about regulation - The 2014 National Dairy Code of Practice was introduced with minimum welfare standards. Eleven years later, enforcement is still near zero.

What a Dairy Cow's Life Actually Looks Like

Cow only produced milk after giving birth. that is the simple biology. 

To get milk, farmers artificially inseminate her roughly once a year. 

1. 80% of the cattle in India are bred in this way.
2. usually this procedure is done by untrained workers using unsterile equipments, leads to infection. 

When a calf is born, within one of two days, the calf is taken away.

1. To keep producing milk after the calf is gone - Many farmers inject oxytocine.
2. That shortens the life span of animals. 

The cow goes through this cycle every year. 

Pregnancy, birth, separation, oxytocin, milking. Repeat.

This post is first part of the series. I will be coming up. what happens next with cows and will show how much suffering they bear.