During World Breastfeeding Week (1 to 7 August), a pair of supporters from PETA India and Animals With Humanity wearing 2.5–metre-tall inflatable infant costumes gathered in Bhopal. They handed out packets of ice-cold mylk (milk made from nuts or other plants) while holding signs reading, “Milk Is for Babies! Dump Dairy.”
The event aimed to remind the public that the mothers of all mammal species – cows and humans included – produce milk for their babies and that nobody requires any milk after the age of weaning.
Just like human mothers, cows produce milk only to feed their young, but their beloved calves are torn away from them so that the nourishment meant for them can be stolen and sold to humans.
PETA India encourages everyone who values the bond between a mother and her baby to ditch dairy and indulge in the many delicious vegan milks, yoghurts, and cheeses that can be made at home from nuts or other plants or that are available to buy.
Supporters told people that the dairy sector, cows and buffaloes are forcibly inseminated, and their newborn calves are stolen from them shortly after birth. Males are typically cast out on the roads, starved, or sold to be killed for their flesh and skin, while females are sentenced to the same fate as their mothers: they’re used as milk machines until their bodies give out, at which point, many are abandoned or slaughtered.
According to the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, the world’s largest organisation of food and nutrition professionals, vegans are at reduced risk of certain health conditions, including ischemic heart disease, type 2 diabetes, hypertension, certain types of cancer, and obesity. The University of Oxford researchers state that giving up meat and dairy can reduce an individual’s carbon footprint from food by up to 73%.
For those who enjoy the creamy taste, mylk made from a variety of nuts, oats, seeds, millet, soya, rice, or other plants is a nutritious and tasty option.
