I am concerned that Matt Biddle presented fallacies regarding how the dairy industry truly operates, and its interdependent veal industry ("'Meatout' supporters ignore real treatment of most cows," March 20).

It's important to understand that like other mammals, dairy cows must be pregnant to give milk. These cows are impregnated nonstop for their entire life span in order to keep producing milk. On average, dairy cows are forced to produce 10 times the amount of milk they naturally would. The nonstop pregnancies cause them to have health problems, including lameness and mastitis. When dairy cows cannot produce any more milk, they are sent to the slaughterhouse.

Nonstop pregnancies produce an excess of male calves, which are useless for dairy farmers. Sometimes they are raised for beef, but more often they become veal calves.

The treatment of veal calves is truly horrific. They are separated from the mother cow the day after they are born so the milk can be kept for people. Veal calves are kept in crates so small that they cannot even stand up or turn around. This is done to help keep the muscles tender. They are also fed an iron-deficient diet to keep their flesh pale, which is what consumers want. The calves are then killed after only a few months of life.

Anyone who treats a dog the way that most cows are treated would be charged with animal cruelty. Biddle asserted, "Cows have it better than some people do." Who are these people?