From Dairy Farmers to Compassionate Vegans

Over a year ago, two brothers, Mehran and Mehrdad Houshmand from Rasht in the northern province of Gilan, Iran, used to own and manage a dairy farm. At first, they were pleased to provide this service to society and had long term plans for the business. However, after becoming more informed and learning first hand about the environmental and animal welfare issues associated with dairy farming they realized that they were not only contributing to environmental devastation, but were also causing great suffering to the cows. Enduring incessant daily milking, a lack of exercise, and cramped living conditions, the dairy cows frequently became ill. The newborn calves were taken away from their mothers and were fed all sorts of concentrates, hay, alfalfa and other drugs, which were harmful to them. The cows were frequently calcium deficient because they were constantly kept pregnant and forced to produce large volumes of milk. As a result, it was common for mother cows to break their hips or their legs.

 Mehrdad: “In the long term, the animals were afflicted with different diseases, so that even administering antibiotics would not cure them. We would give them various antibiotics, yet the animals still could not stand on their feet and ultimately they would die.”

 Mehran : “After only six months, while giving birth, one of my animals broke one of her legs and became crippled. And this incident had such a profound effect on me that gradually I started to think that such an incident would surely recur, since my cows were continually giving birth. So I asked the vet, who said that this was due to low calcium, and that when animals give birth for the second, third and fourth time, such incidents do occur. This caused me great anxiety.”

Mehrdad: “I witnessed how animals suffered on the factory farms. And when we would take the animals to be sold, they would look at us as if one of the family members was going away. I couldn’t bear such scenes. These scenes were a kind of torture for me.”

 As the brothers became painfully aware of the damage that their dairy farm was causing, they resolved to make a very important decision and fully change their lifestyle. After explaining to their family the devastating environmental consequences of their dairy farm and how changing to compassionate living is the highest service to society, the family decided together to close the farm. One kindhearted decision led to another and the two brothers have now switched to a vegan diet. Their family members too have also adopted the plant-based diet.

 Since leaving the dairy business, the brothers support themselves through environmentally friendly endeavors. Mehran works for the provincial government of Gilan at the General Bureau for the Environment as an environmental expert. He is responsible for protecting the Anzali lagoon and its wildlife from fishing and hunting. Mehrdad has found a new career working at the recently opened vegan restaurant Kolbeh Mohabat, which means “Loving Hut” in Farsi. It is the first vegan establishment in the entire country.

 For the complete interview with the Houshmand brothers on the program “A Change of Heart: From Dairy Farmers to Compassionate Vegans” go to: http://suprememastertv.com/bbs/tb.php/download/6768

~ For this hopeful news, thanks to Philip Wollen, founder of the excellent organisation The Winsome Constance Kindness Trust.  Visit: www.kindnesstrust.com