Cycle for Cruelty Free Milk

Millions of factory farmed cows in the UK are suffering to produce
conventional milk for our consumption. The Lotus Trust needs to raise
£150,000 to develop a model cruelty free milk dairy which can be
replicated around the country. With your help we can make cruelty free
milk a reality.

Join the Ahimsa campaigners to raise money by cycling for cruelty free milk, on any Sunday in October in London. There are different cycle routes for different levels and all we ask of you is to raise a minimum of £150 in sponsorship money to help make cruelty free milk a reality. It's that simple!

Please fill in your name, email, telephone and select the events you are
able to attend on the different dates. For more information, please visit
this link:

http://new.britishcycling.org.uk/skyride/local/events

To take part, click here:

Don't worry if you don't live in London - you can also arrange something similar for your area!

Cruelty-free milk: awareness leads to action!

Ahimsa recently exhibited at a summer festival in Hertfordshire as part of
its ongoing awareness-raising campaign on the benefits of a cruelty-free
lifestyle. The survey it conducted among festival-goers proves that where
people are given the facts about milk and meat production, they are more
likely to commit to a compassionate diet.

Research carried out at Bhaktivedanta Manor, the Krishna community farm in
Herfordshire which produces more then 37,000litres of cruelty free milk
annually for its community indicates that the real price of milk (when no
animals are slaughtered) is £3.

Out of 2,000 people surveyed at the festival:

- 31.6% were willing to pay £3 for 1 litre of cruelty free milk.
- 37.1% were willing to pay £2 for 1 litre of cruelty free milk.

This makes a total of 68.7% who are willing to pay £2 or more for 1 litre of
cruelty free milk.

In addition, 1,000 people who came through the Ahimsa exhibition area made a
commitment to take up a Compassionate Eating Programme whereby they will
now:

a) only drink organic milk
b) convert to a vegetarian friendly diet

And among those who pledged to change their personal dietary habits,
approximately 450 have committed themselves to take further action by
joining the Make Cruelty Free Milk A Reality campaign and participating in
various fund- and awareness-raising events.

If you haven't made a similar commitment already, there is no time better
than now! More to come soon on our plan for October.

Belgian farmers cry over spilt milk

How shocking, though one may empathise with farmers who receive a pittance for milk produced – they have been straight jacketed into an industrialised system leaving them no room to manoeuvre. The true value of milk and the cows that produce it has been totally lost, it costs less to buy a litre of milk then it does water. However, also as shocking is that 300 million litres of fresh milk is poured onto empty fields, this also appears to be senseless.

See: http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/in_pictures/8259659.stm

Rickshaw / Cycle Ride - THE VIDEO

Some footage from Sunday 26 July 2009. Supporters of the Ahimsa campaign for Cruelty-Free Milk set out on their bikes and rickshaws, through the streets of London... dressed as cows!

Organic Producers tough it out in uncertain times

Low premiums and high feed costs are forcing some organic milk producers back to conventional production. And according to The Dairy Group's Mike Palacio, several producers have already left or are considering leaving the organic sector.

With high feed prices and a reducing premium in relation to conventional milk prices, organic dairy businesses are in a difficult position. "The price has come down from 35p/litre in the past six months and for a herd producing 2m litres a year, that's an £80,000 hit", says Mr Palacio.

Two and a half years ago, the organic milk premium was about 10p/litre, when organic feed prices were nowhere near as high as they are now in relation to conventional feed costs. Currently organic feed costs between £360 and £425/t and the premium for organic milk is down to between 3p and 7p/litre.

Organic milk supply has in the past suffered from too many converters moving into the sector at a time of high premiums only to find by the time they have completed conversion, so many more have done the same that premiums are quickly eroded.

"We have no new dairy converters at present. Once the conventional milk price went back up to 25p/litre, the interest in organic conversion evaporated, "says Mr Palacio.

There were just 5m litres of milk in conversion in 2008, says the Soil Association's Phil Stocker. He suggests, with so few converters last year there will be opportunities for a limited number of conversions, so those producers may be ready to take advantage of an improvement in demand when the recession ends.

Dairy Cows 'hungry and emaciated' by high milk production, says CIWF

Compassion in World Farming says cows across Europe are suffering as a result of being bred to produce unreasonable amounts of milk.

The claims came after an extensive study on dairy systems by the European Food Safety Authority found that long-term genetic selection for higher milk yields was a major factor affecting cow health and welfare.

The five-part report said cattle should be genetically selected to address resistance to diseases such as lameness, as well as improving their fertility and health.

It also recommended that cattle were given enough space to take into account the increased body form and size of genetically-selected cows.

However CIWF claimed the report showed cows produced in the European Union suffered from hunger, lameness and infertility.

Calling for consumers to buy organic milk, CIWF said dairy cows were being bred to produce more milk than was healthy for them and were increasingly reared in zero-grazing systems, causing "serious welfare problems".

Phil Brooke, CIWF welfare development manager said the industry had been milking cows beyond endurance for too long.

Happy Healthy Cows Rickshaw / Cycle Ride

The Happy Healthy Cows campaign is planning a rickshaw / cycle ride through the streets of Central London on Sunday 26th July to raise awareness and funds for the welfare and wellbeing of cows. 5 rickshaws and 16 cyclists will veer through streets small and big - why don't you join us.

Details:
Gathering at Trafalgar Square for 10.30am / please contact mte@pamho.net for registration

If you cannot join, we would greatly appreciate support for this cause, please dig deep in your pockets and sponsor us at:

http://www.justgiving.com/Sita-Rama/