Attention, Dairy Farmers: ‘Dragons’ Den’s Deborah Meaden, PETA Launch New Competition
For Immediate Release:
21 July 2020
Contact:
Jennifer White +44 (0) 20 7837 6327, ext 222; [email protected]
Attention, Dairy Farmers: ‘Dragons’ Den’s Deborah Meaden, PETA Launch New Competition
As Dairy Industry Is on the Ropes, PETA Puts Out a Call for Farmers Looking to Switch From Cows’ Milk to Crops
London – As COVID-19 has hit the dairy industry hard and sales of vegan milks are skyrocketing, investor and Dragons’ Den star Deborah Meaden has joined forces with PETA for a new competition that encourages dairy farmers to transition to growing crops for non-dairy milks. One dairy farmer interested in making the switch will receive a one-on-one business consultation with Meaden via Zoom to help them get started.
“Making the transition to growing crops could be a lifeline for struggling dairy farmers, which is why I’m teaming up with PETA to help one farmer do just that,” says Meaden. “As more and more farmers reap the rewards of creating delicious milks from oats, soya, hemp, and more, there’s no better time to make the switch. Not only is it a good move for business, it’s also the right thing to do for animals and the planet.”
While the dairy industry was already in financial trouble before the COVID-19 crisis, it’s estimated that the UK vegan milk market will be worth £565 million by 2025. Dairy-free milks are better for animals and the environment and contain none of the artery-clogging fat and cholesterol of cows’ milk. Cows used for dairy are artificially inseminated (raped by inserting an arm into the rectum and a metal rod into the vagina), and their calves are stolen from them shortly after birth so that their milk can be sold and consumed by humans instead. Male calves, who are considered a by-product by the dairy industry, may be shot in the head shortly after birth or killed and carved up as veal. Most female calves are destined for the same fate as their mothers: used as milk machines until their bodies give out and they’re slaughtered for cheap meat.
Contestants will also have the opportunity to win a half-day professional consultation with agriculture experts from Tolhurst Organic on transitioning from dairy farming to growing crops. The competition will run until 10 August, and the winner will be notified by 14 August. The winner will be selected based on his or her motivation and enthusiasm for moving away from dairy.
PETA – whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat” – opposes speciesism, a human-supremacist worldview. For more information, please visit PETA.org.uk.
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