02/16/23 Looking for a Queen
Through their campaign "Kraljica kravica" (Cow Queen) AFC is publicly calling out Belje and asking them for film footage of separating the calves from their mothers
It is unethical to call them royal and then abduct their children and kill them, states AFC
After several days of sharing on social media a story about a calf named Petra, who is looking for her mother, Animal Friends Croatia finally revealed what it is about. With their new campaign „Looking for a Queen”, they are publicly calling out one of the largest Croatian food industries, Belje, in particular their brand “Kravica Kraljica” (Cow Queen). As they claim, it is incorrect to call cows royal and then abduct their children immediately after birth and kill them after their milk production decreases.
„Prompted by the fact that Belje is, in the name of brand “Kravica Kraljica”- (Cow Queen), telling fairytales to the public about how their cows live as royalty, we decided to present the true version of the story. The truth about the cows is brutal and sad, as is brutal and sad the entire dairy industry. It is undeniable that every dairy farm takes cows’ young so they could take her milk and because of that the cows and the calves endure severe suffering. It is undeniable that the dairy industry kills the cows after they pass their “production period” of four and a half years on average, as well as the male calves who cannot provide milk. This treatment is in no way “royal”, and that is why we publicly call out on Belje and the creator of brand “Kravica Kraljica”. The goal of our campaign ‘Looking for a Queen’ is to inform the consumers about the brutal truth hidden behind a carton of milk in their refrigerator”, the campaign web page points out, along with very emotional illustrations of little Petra and her mom.
As they state, Belje with its campaign „Kravica Kraljica” is not an exemption in the marketing presentation of happy cows, as this misleading advertising is very common amongst dairy brands. However, with a very aggressive marketing approach and showing cows as happy royalty they have gone further than the others. Namely, calling royalty those who they continuously artificially inseminate, abduct their children and in the end send them to slaughterhouses is an extreme exaggeration and cannot be further from the truth.
That is exactly why Animal Friends Croatia sent a letter to Belje’s Board President, which you can read at the bottom of the text. They have asked them for permission to film the birth and the first day of the calves on one of their dairy farms so the interested public is allowed to evaluate on its own whether calves are separated from their mothers and whether that is a royal treatment.
In the letter, which can be read in full on www.trazisekraljica.net, they state that Belje has the responsibility to their consumers to find out more about the milk they are drinking. „We consider it your duty to share the real truth about milk production with your consumers and not to deceive them by calling the exploitative treatment towards animals as royal.” They state in the letter.
More on standard practices on all dairy farms can be found on www.trazisekraljica.net, where Animal Friends Croatia will publish the reply from Belje Management Board.
