The dairy industry violates Islamic animal ethics by separating calves from mother cows.
Key Takeaways
The modern dairy industry separates calves from mother cows within a few hours of birth so that the maximum amount of milk can be harvested for sale.
This goes against clear Islamic halal standards which state that milk from animals can only be taken once their children have had their fill.
With such an obvious and commonly practiced violation of Islamic animal ethics, it stands to reason whether or not modern dairy and its derivative products can even be considered halal.
There is much to say about the cruelty inherent in the modern dairy industry. Cows being artificially impregnated, male calves as young as a few days old slaughtered for meat, and cows being confined alone in small cages for most of their lives – there is nothing Islamic about the way cows are treated by the modern dairy industry, as we’ve argued in detail before.
However, there is one practice in particular that quite explicitly goes against Islamic animal ethics: separating baby calves from their mothers to extract their milk.
The dairy industry separates calves from their mothers mere hours after their birth
Calves are separated from their mothers within mere hours after their birth at dairy farms around the world. This is done so that the milk from mother cows that would otherwise be consumed by the calves, as is the nature of things intended by the Almighty (SWT), is instead taken and sold by farmers. The calves, separated from their mothers, are fed formula milk instead.
Advocates of this abhorrent practice take an economic angle to support it, stating that this helps facilitate harvesting the maximum amount of milk available for sale.
In Islam, we cannot milk an animal except what exceeds their child’s need
While Islam does allow humans to take benefits from animals, this permission is subject to strict guidelines. One very clear guideline, which the dairy industry evidently violates, is that animals cannot be milked unless their child’s needs have been fulfilled. This is clear from the sayings of many of the greatest scholars in the history of Islam.
The opinion of the scholars on milking an animal
Imam al-Shafi, for example, the founder of the Shafi’i school, one of the major schools of fiqh in Islam, states:
"Mothers with progeny are not milked except what is in excess of their children’s sustenance. They are not milked while the offspring are left to die of emaciation."
- Imam Al-Shafi
[Source: al-Umm (Beirut: Dār al-Maʿrifah, 1410/1990), 5:510–11.]
Similarly, Imam al-Nawawi, one of the greatest scholars of hadith in the history of Islam, clarifies that animals may not be milked in a way that causes harm to their child (by taking most of it away and leaving little for them):
"He does not milk [in a way that] harms her child."
- Imam al-Nawawi
[Source: Minhāj al-ṭālibīn (Beirut: Dār al-Fikr, 1425/2005), 268.]
Imam al-Ghazali, one of the greatest scholars in the history of Islam, echoes Imam al-Nawawi in his al-Wasit and says:
“Similarly, he does not exhaust their milk thereby harming their progeny."
- Imam al-Ghazali
[Source: al-Wasīṭ (Cairo: Dār al-Salām, 1417/1996), 6:248–9.]
Similarly, Imam Abu Ishaq al-Shirazi shares a similar position to Imam Shafi but further adds that milk produced by cows is meant for their children:
"Her milk is not milked except what is in excess of her child[’s needs], since it is nutrition for the child and, thus, it is not permissible to bar him [from it]."
- Imam Abu Ishaq al-Shirazi.
[Source: al-Muhadhdhab (Damascus: Dār al-Qalam, 1417/1996), 4:638–9.]
Hadith of the Prophet (SAW) on milking animals
The above are just four of several such scholarly instructions, all of which are based on variations of the following hadith:
Islam’s position on dairy summarized
By combining the insights from scholars and the hadith shared above, we can summarize Islam’s position on this matter as follows:
In Islam, the milk of animals is meant for their children.
Baby animals may not be barred from their mothers and must be allowed to drink milk freely.
If milk is to be taken from animals, it can only be taken once their children’s needs have been met, so that no harm comes to them.
So, is modern dairy even halal?
Considering Islam’s position on this matter, each of us must question whether or not modern dairy can even be considered halal.
The dairy industry enjoys a relatively positive image as compared to other livestock industries, even in the eyes of people who largely support a plant-based diet but continue to eat cheese and other dairy products. However, this image is more due to marketing strategies, than any basis in factual reality.
As we always emphasize: halal is not just about what goes in our stomachs, but how it is produced as well. The violation of this clear Islamic rule (among many others) raises a severe question mark on the Islamic legitimacy of modern dairy milk and all its derivative products.
