A few weeks ago, away for a childfree trip with a group of similarly liberated moms, we debated the issue of organic milk — a huge expense for families with young children. I know that our family of four goes through 6-8 litres a week depending on how much milk David and I are drinking as well. The long and the short of the debate was this: if Canadian cows are not given antibiotics or growth hormones, why buy organic milk?

Since I was ultimately confused over what course of action to take
(or to continue), I turned to the internet to find that, indeed, unlike
their American counterparts, Canadian dairy cows are actually free of
hormones and drugs. These injections are used in other parts of the
world to stimulate greater milk yields, as well as to keep cows healthy
in what would otherwise be unhealthy living environments. Maybe that is
part of the reason why our heavily regulated milk industry produces
milk that costs much more per litre in Canada than in the US.

I visited the BC Dairy Foundation web site
to see what they had to say. According to their literature, not only is
all milk tested daily for antibiotics at the farm, but every truckload
is tested when it arrives at the processing plant. If this is accurate,
then the milk board is providing an incredible amount of security for
the consumer.

While doing my reading, I ran across an interesting study out of England in 2004 where the organic marketing board claimed the milk from their cows had upwards of 65% more Omega 3 fatty acids. Some critics decry these findings,
pointing skeptically to the sponsor of the study. Others say it depends
on the cattle’s diet when the milk is tested, as well as the time of
year, leaving skeptics of the organic movement claiming that, really,
there is no advantage to organic milk at all.

But what about the cows? Are they happy and healthy on the farms?
I’ve always imagined that organic animals are tripping around pastures
with contented smiles on their faces, but perhaps that’s because I’m a
victim of marketing myself. Out here in BC, organic milk is available
in virtually every corner store, and we can also buy organic goat’s
milk and associated products. It’s a high-demand industry. But while
I’ve always been inclined to think that organic farmers take more
passionate care of their animals, perhaps that’s not true, at least
when it comes to a dairy herd.

Now, I’m tempted to switch back from organic to regular milk. If the
dairy environment is free of those troublesome treatments, perhaps
“regular” milk is the way to go, especially for my pocketbook.

What say you?