I have been a vegetarian for 4 years and I have always tried to do my best to source milk from what I thought are responsible sources. Oftentimes, circumstances forced me to buy from the shops but as a Woolworths supporter, I consoled myself with the fact that I was at least buying ethical milk from what your labels lead us to believe are "loved, free roaming" cows grazing in pastures. Imagine my dismay, and call me naive, when I discovered that not only are your so-called free range cows NOT roaming freely as indicated by your cleverly, and very misleading labels, but there are reports that you practice dehorning.
I have since stopped consuming any dairy products entirely. I have lost faith in any corporation actually wanting to do right by their customers and the animals raised for our consumption. Woolworths, you have always stood out to me as a company that cared for its environment and the products that you source, what an utter disappointment you have turned out to be. You may be the lesser of the other evils out there, but you are still guilty of flat out misleading the public in your attempt at green washing your company's label. How can we as the public trust ANY of your labels? What does "farming for the future" mean? My confidence in you as a company as been completely destroyed.
This leads me to the conclusion that to be a responsible and ethical consumer, I can only in good conscience support local small farms. As an attempt for an open discussion on this issue, I am sharing the link that led me to this conclusion. Please feel free to address any issue where I may be misguided.
Looking forward to your response,
Caroline