Say no to cows’ milk and reject cruelty
WORLD Plant Milk Day takes place today and this year more people than ever will be avoiding dairy “products” and reaching for alternatives that are kinder to the environment, human health, and animals.
Research indicates that the number of vegans in Britain has risen by 700% in just the last two years.
Milk production has a significant impact on the environment, accounting for 20% of animal agriculture’s greenhouse-gas emissions and around 4% of total global emissions. In the UK alone, 1.8 million cows are exploited for their milk.
On dairy farms, cows are forcibly impregnated via artificial insemination, only for their beloved babies to be torn away from them so the milk that nature intended for them can instead be consumed by humans. Both mother cows and their calves are emotionally traumatised by this separation.
Humans are the only species on the planet to drink another animal’s milk and the only one to drink milk beyond weaning age. Anyone ready to be weaned can opt for one of the many non-dairy milks – made from soya beans, almonds, oats, rice, coconuts, and other plants – that are readily available and which offer all the taste but none of the cruelty (or cholesterol) of cows’ milk.
Jennifer White, Media and Partnerships
Coordinator, People for the Ethical Treatment of
Animals