Why eating dairy is cruel to animals!

One of the most common reasons people become vegetarians is due to the harm caused to animals, personal health and possibly planetary health by continuing to eat meat. Vegetarians however, still continue to consume produce from live animals and may not be aware of the danger caused to animals and the environment as a result.  

Dairy is an often overlooked comodity that often seems a tough cookie to quit due to its addictive properties and social norms and pressures from family, friends and coworkers. It seems innocuous; that animals don't suffer as a result. However, eating dairy makes us responsible for colluding with exploitation and killing of calves who are taken away from their mothers at birth or soon after leaving the mother to become a milking machine for humans instead.

In addition, male calves are sold for veal or killed outright and the fortunate female calves that do get to escape death are forced into preganancy and enslaved just like their mothers to a life of milking.

Furthermore, once a female cow is no longer useful for milking, she will succumb to the same death as that of her offspering and parents before her.

Does supporting this industry built on suffering and killings really align with our values as being kind to animals? In addition, using animals in this way has significant impacts on damaging the environment and reduing biodiversity due to, significant use of water, land and feed resources, contamination of water sources due to phosperous, and nitrogen runoff, and deforestation. 

From a personal health perspective dairy is high in saturation fat & cholesteral which can lead to heart disease, obesity, hypertension and other chronic health issues.