Belgian animal welfare organisation Gaia has drawn sharp criticism from dairy farmers over a recent advertising campaign that focuses on the separation of calves from their mothers at birth. “For decades, we’ve been shown milk as an essential product produced by happy animals,” said Sébastien de Jonge, director of operations at Gaia. “We’re exposing a factual reality that’s quite different, and so naturally, it’s causing quite a stir. But it also shows that it’s important to do this because there’s a lack of understanding about
the issue.” Éric Coheur, a dairy farmer who operates in Fooz near Liège, said the immediate separation of calves from their mothers was a choice that he stood by. “The calves are doing really well, they’re in paradise, they’re in the straw, they’re fine,” Coheur told RTBF. “It’s easy to keep an eye on them; we feed them twice a day. And as soon as a calf doesn’t come to drink, we know there’s a problem, so we take its temperature. “And if it has
a fever or there’s an issue, we can call the vet straight away to treat the sick calf.” Coheur said Gaia was out of touch with the reality on the ground: “Gaia advocates animal welfare, but with their advertising, they’re doing the exact opposite of what’s needed. “If you leave a calf at the teat of a cow that produces 30–40 litres of milk a day, it will die, because the calf won’t stop; it will drink as much as it can. And then there
will be enterotoxemia, colic, digestive problems, and the calf will die.” Professor Frédéric Rollin at the University of Liège, a specialist in bovine health, said that when a calf is separated from the mother immediately upon birth, a bond is never formed and therefore the separation “doesn’t pose any particular problem”. “[The Gaia] video is very well made to tug at heartstrings and play on the emotions of the public and potential donors,” Rollin said. “But the problem is that it casts a shadow over
an entire sector that operates correctly, that treats animals with respect, and they don’t realise the harm they’re causing in this regard.” Belgium’s Advertising Ethics Committee has received complaints regarding the campaign and the independent body will have to determine whether or not the message complies with ethical standards. Gaia’s campaign, titled “Not your milk”, was launched on 1 June to mark World Milk Day and encourages consumers to turn to plant-based alternatives. “Gaia highlights the obvious: milk is meant for calves, not humans,” the
organisation said. “To maintain constant production, cows are repeatedly inseminated to give birth to calves. In Belgium, the calves are then torn from their mothers immediately after birth so that the milk can be sold. “This separation causes great distress for both the mothers and their young. Calves deprived of their mothers are then isolated in individual pens from their very first days of life.” While female calves usually become dairy cows themselves, male calves are generally sent to fattening centres to produce veal. “Every
year in Belgium, more than 330,000 calves are slaughtered when they are only a few months old,” Gaia said. “In the face of this systemic animal suffering, Gaia urges consumers to stop drinking cow’s milk and to opt for plant-based milks. “Soy, oat, rice and almond drinks are now widely available and offer an animal-friendly alternative with a significantly lower environmental impact than cow’s milk.” A 2025 survey commissioned by Gaia found that 55% of Belgians said that they were willing to reduce their consumption
of animal milk once informed about the practices of the dairy industry. Among 18- to 34-year-olds, the figure rises to 63%. An estimated four in 10 Belgians already consume plant-based alternatives at least once a week, and one in 10 Belgians never consume animal milk. Gaia said that this trend was part of a wider shift. Between 2016 and 2024, consumption of cow’s milk fell by almost 12.5 million litres in Belgium, a drop of almost 3%.
Gaia, Not your milk, World Milk Day, Belgium, dairy farmers, calves separation, animal welfare, Advertising Ethics Committee, plant-based milk