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Organic and Free Ranch

All dairy products, eggs and meat for sale come from producers who want to make a profit. Unfortunately, labels with "Organic" and "Free Range" are no guarantee that the animals have a decent life. Usually the labels are both misleading and fool the customer into thinking the animals have been treated better than they really have. For example, consumers can read these facts:

*In Norway, organic dairy farmers that sell organic milk and cheese are actually allowed to separate a newborn calf from his mother after only three days together; not what you would expect from buying organic.

*To produce milk, cows and goats have to be pregnant. To give continually milk, they have to give birth every year, which they also are forced to do even in organic agriculture. And as mentioned above, their kids are soon taken away from them.

*In Norway, many eggs are sold as "Free range" hens. The label sounds nice and gives an image of hens living in

small groups outdoors, soaking up the sun and picking in the ground but the reality is far from this. So called “free range” hens are trapped inside an enormous hall, living in a chaos with 7-8000 other hens, unable to go out and see the day light.

*Free range eggs such as the Sun Egg brand also come from hens who are locked indoors and who have never seen the sun.

*The only eggs which come from hens who have access to an area outdoors are organic eggs but, discouragingly, even in this case the hens still live together in a large hall with 8000 other hens.

While everyone will make their own decisions, based on this information I have presented here, I always suggest that those who buy milk, cheese, eggs or other animal products choose organic. Or, best of all, avoid buying any animal products. By buying animal products you are giving your money to these farmers and you are agreeing and supporting the suffering caused to these animals.

If you still want to do it, try to buy organic, which is often better. Just know that even if the animals in

an organic farm do not suffer as much as they do in a conventional farm, they still suffer. It is often

best to find a local farmer and visit the premises yourself, so you can make an informed choice.