This Week In Animals: Udder Warfare, Teacup Piglets, And A Battle To The Death! (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

This week in animal stories reached new heights in Brussels, where farmers took to the streets with cows' milk and eggs as ammunition to battle against low milk prices. The week continued with some adorable videos and slideshows. Vote on your favorite animal story this week!

Udder Protest

5,000 European farmers and 1,000 tractors took to the streets of Brussels during the gathering of agriculture ministers on Monday. The issue? Low milk prices across Europe. The artillery? Cows' milk and chickens' eggs.

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[Cryostatic]

I'm confused. Are all of these farmers living in communist states, where they're employed by government, who dictates the price for which a gallon of milk must sell?

If not, what on earth are they protesting about, and to whom? Are they protesting to consumers, for not being willing to pay more for milk? To each other, for undercutting prices and/or producing far more product than there's demand for?

What gives?

[mzrecycle]

Loved that picture of squirting the cop! When I was nursing my sons, occasionally while doing it sitting in bed next to my husband, I'd use the other breast to playfully squirt my husband after he teased me about something.

[hippie4ever]

Lactose terrorists -:)

[jacqmac]

Wow!! 5,000 farmers and 1,000 tractors (obviously operated by someone who uses them) on the STREETS!!! WOW!! I'm impressed. I wonder if the guy shooting milk at the cop was arrested AFTER the camera went away. I can see it now---'Cop gets MILKED. Arrests Farmer and cow. After all folks, it wasn't the FARMER'S milk that was shot at the cop, it was the COW'S milk.
By the way--Y'all might not remember this since some of you drink milk that isn't really milk but is only milk because someone says so (SOY milk) etc.---but the UNITED STATES GOVERNMENT deliberately WASETED PLENTY of farm products back in the 50's and 60's. Milk was POURED OUT--GRAIN was siloed for YEARS and eventually wasted---there are other examples.
That farmer was doing exactly what the farmers in THIS country should have done years ago---stating that at the price being paid to the PRODUCER, The PRODUCT was better off in the GUTTER......

[Palaver]

Why is there a water hose running up under the cow? Are they shooting skim milk?

[1commonsenseman]

In America we pay only 9% off our income for food. We have the cheapest food in the world. Look at our waist lines and see how big they are getting. The farm bill has 90% of it going to food programs like food stamps, school lunches, WIC. As a farmer and rancher I want the good old government out of my business. I do not what money from the government, I do not what their laws on how I can do my business, I do what the law that does not allow me to sell my crop for what I have in it. This is called market price. If the government did not help out the farmers and ranchers? It would mean higher food prices for the public close to 50% of our income. Think about it, the best way to take a country over is take away food and the people will do anything.

For those who think that eating only plants would save this world, to grow them in a no-till field requires a very large increase in chemical use.

[barkrudedog69]

1. The farmers asked for the government to get involved a long time ago.
2. It seems to me that you want the government out of your pockets so the market can move the cost of food upward and history has shown that when we deregulate things like this....it skyrockets...IE Oil, Financial, Home Prices, and Healthcare to name a few.
3. Food Stamps....that is for people that cannot feed themselves right now.
4. School Lunches are for children that may not be eating well at home since they are poor and food is very important to development.
5. WIC is for single mothers that have little ones to make sure they eat.
6. If you do not like your profit margin or how the government regulates you....then get out of the business it is a free market out there.....go to Wall Street....sell your land and go work for someone...
7. The American Farmer would not be here today if you were paid fair market on a global scale for your product. You would need to compete with nations that produce goods with labor a lot cheaper than the workers you hire.
8. Cargill made how much last year?

[1commonsenseman]

I take it then you have never been a farmer or a rancher. AG producers are not allowed to charge a fair market price for their product. The next time you see the Farm bill up for vote, keep in mind 90% percent goes to other programs that are not farm related. I already produce the food for the programs why do I have to give my product away to them. I guess the little help I get form the government is my payment? Do you really what your staples coming from a third world country like China? Let's see if I recall cleaning chemicals in milk to make it test higher on the protein scale. Cargill is not a AG producer just a middle man.

[Soule23]

A word from your local American Farmer:

The last year has been hard on ag in the US. So far, though, we're doing better than many other sectors. Your reasoning is paternalistic, and seems to gloss over the very real fact that many farmers (those who grow fruits and vegetables, for instance) are not subsidized by any government.

Perhaps you should try to make yourself abreast of the issues before making public your misinformed and insulting pontifications.

[Opti]

These guys have the best protests EVER.

[felixthecat]

notmilk.com. Milk is cruel and makes you all sick.

[Progressiveama]

Yes, it is!!

[audadvnc]

Now THAT's a Super Soaker!

[Waltfl]

Why don't these farmers move to the USA, and enjoy artificially high food prices, combined with huge subsidies? Even though the price of a gallon of milk has fallen below $ 1.50 world wide, we here are still selling it for $ $ 3.50/gal. in grocery stores all over the US! Same goes for fruit: A buck for a grapefruit in Florida, harvested by illegals who earn $ 2 an hour, while at the same time thousands of tons are rotting in the groves, and mega farmers get huge subsidies. That's how we keep prices in check. Yep, only in capitalist America such is possible. If it benefits the poor it is called socialism here, if it benefits the rich it is called fair market regulations.

[Lakeview Greg]

So get a cow and make your own.

[1commonsenseman]

"Yep, only in capitalist America such is possible. If it benefits the poor it is called socialism here, if it benefits the rich it is called fair market regulations."

You nailed the reason why we have such cheap food. This is what the farmers of American deal with a fair market regulation that is controlled by socialism. Try to make a living with these rules!

[Waltfl]

People keep saying that food is too cheap in this country. Why? A Kiwi from New Zealand costs 30 cents, a pound of bananas from South America cost 45 cents, and one Florida orange costs a buck? Where is the relation here?

I basically travel for a living, and have been everywhere except to Australia. I only know of a hand full of countries where food is more than in the USA (adjusted for exchange rates), but I could probably find 100 countries right now, where food costs only 30% of what it costs here. It feels weird eating a US imported USDA grade A steak in Asia at a restaurant, for half the price the meat alone would cost at Publix.

The farmers I know around here all own ranches half as big as Rhode Island, and they all have more money than God, despite the oh so low food and fruit prices.

[hellostats]

Maybe they wouldn't be able to stand the inequality and injustice in this country?

[Soule23]

I think your beef is with grocery wholesalers and retailers. Most farmers are losing money this year, based on inflated input costs and historically low wholesale prices. Less than a dollar goes to the farmer who produces the $3,50 gallon of milk. How much do you think the farmer gets paid per $1 grapefruit---a case of grapefruit purchased from a wholesale broker costs far less than it does in the grocery store. Most farmers are not, by the way, subsidized--subsidies exist only for growers of 7 or 8 different commodity crops (corn, wheat, rice, cotton, etc.). The reason our farms are "half the size of Rhode Island" is that our profit margins are typically very low--while you say that all of the farmers that you know are rich, 90% of us must work off-farm to support ourselves financially.

[Waltfl]

May be you are right, it is probably the middle man who pockets the biggest share, as always. This means it is time to think about feasible alternatives to cut out the middle man. The same is true for the loan business, the energy business, and many other lines of business in this country. The ones on both ends of the deal get stiffed, and the one in the middle pockets 2/3 of the gain.

[goto1000]

Try that in the US and watch your cow get tazered.....

[nexxtep54]

LOL....udderly funny

[Lakeview Greg]

The cowintologists will be up in arms, or hoof, or leg ....or something.

[Jean Reginald Charles]

at least in Europe, when people are upset, they take the streets. Here, people post something on internet, and then go back watching their favorite tv show.

[Pema]

how do you now? psychic or just jaded?

[futate01]

he is right, and your sarcasm is not a way to freedom.

[blacksmithn]

I had a really pithy retort, but a rerun of "Cops" just came on, so I'll post it later.

[RSKaz]

Apparently in Europe there's not a single better use for milk than as a protest prop. Like say, feeding children, the poor, creme brulee.

[Jean Reginald Charles]

Please do some research before posting nonsense. There's a reason why European farmers are upset. Milk is not the issue, there's plenty of it. What the farmers are paid for their milk is the issue. It was all over the news, except here in the U.S. of course.

[Filmfeline]

I love how so sure of yourself you sound. The fact remains that perhaps you should do some research as well. Farming creates about 70% of pollution. I'm glad farmers aren't doing well. At least they will go out of business. Those poor animals are abused and neglected and disrespected - exhibit #1 is the photo above. A whole lot worse happens to them, but I know this is about the people right? The scummy, uncarring, ignorant and uneducated farmers and of course, people who support what they do like you. I bet you eat meat as well. Clearly.

[RSKaz]

If the farmers are paid crap they should use manure to protest. Not waste the commodity.

[RightWingMarine]

it's their milk, why shouldn't they use it in a manner that they wish? Perhaps you would do something different with the milk, you are free to buy it and then do so. Clearly these farmers don't feel they are wasting the milk and eggs.

[Filmfeline]

as your handle suggest - you are what you are. As you were.

[CalverH]

My first thought also but, this is raw milk. They just produce it and sell it to be pasturized i.e ready to consumption. They cannot give feed the children with it ... :(. What a waste ...

[RSKaz]

Sure they can drink raw milk. Pasteurization is not globally mandated.

[makeshiftriot]

:| If the price of milk is that much of an issue then why are they wasting it? That's like burning all of your money because the economy is bad.

People lack logic these days.

[Amazone]

right?!

[RSKaz]

Probably a calcium deficiency.

[RightWingMarine]

the price may be so low that it might not cover the cost of bringing the milk to market.