Ryan Gosling doesn’t want to be just another Hollywood pretty face.
The actor known for his brooding turns in Drive, Gangster Squad and The Place Beyond the Pines, is teaming up with PETA to stop milk manufacturers from physically removing horns from calves involved in the milk making process.
The actor penned a letter to the National Milk Producers Federation to protest a process dubbed “dehorning” which the organization says causes intense pain.
“Dehorning is one of the most painful things done to cows on dairy farms, whether it is by burning a calf with a searing hot iron or applying caustic paste to create a chemical burn that eats away at the animal’s flesh,” writes Gosling. “There is absolutely no reason–and no excuse–for the cruel, unnecessary practice of dehorning to continue.”
The Federation differs with Gosling and PETA, saying the dehorning process serves a very valuable function.
“… A cow’s horns are a dangerous, even potentially lethal instrument, both to humans, as well as to other animals. Dehorning has been used for decades to help reduce the risk of injury to cows and animal handlers.”
More than nine out of 10 dairy farms practice dehorning, and the process is more painful when applied to older cows.