Actress Miriam Margolyes Joins Animal Equality in Urging Government to Divest From Dairy
Most recognised for her roles as Professor Sprout in Harry Potter and Sister Mildred in Call The Midwife, the straight-talking, no-nonsense actress is fronting Animal Equality’s petition to ‘remake our food system’.
Paired with previously unpublished undercover footage from Madox Farm in Wales, the campaign draws attention to the cycle of suffering experienced by the 2.6 million cows used for dairy in the UK every year.
Animal Equality’s petition seeks for taxpayer money to be redistributed to subsidise plant-based alternatives, fund rewilding of land, and incentivise arable farming, a move that Miriam believes will ‘futureproof farmers’ jobs and create a kinder, more sustainable world in the process’.
Suffering Made Legal
Cows must give birth in order to produce milk. For humans to drink a cow’s milk, her young calves must be taken from her. It’s the same story for all of the millions of cows confined by this industry in the UK and around the world.
Separation is very stressful for both the calf and for the mother due to their very strong bond.
Professor Andrew Knight, Founding Director of the Centre for Animal Welfare at the University of Winchester
This is a legally permissible industry practice taking place within all of the UK’s 8000 dairy farms, including those accredited and certified as organic.
A Special Connection
I know what it’s like to have a strong bond with your mother. Animals have that bond too. Mother cows and their babies have a special connection. It hurts them to be separated. But that’s what happens every single day in the dairy industry. Everyone deserves to know the truth. We can encourage farmers to transition away from the dairy industry, helping them switch to growing sustainable crops that can be made into plant-based milk alternatives. The world is harsh, let’s make it kinder.
Miriam Margolyes OBE, Actress and Animal Equality Supporter
Money Talks
British dairy farmers received over £56 million annually in EU payments over recent years, making up nearly 40% of their profits. In early 2022, the UK Government backed the £1 million ‘AHDB dairy campaign’ to boost dairy milk consumption, as well as providing dairy farmers with access to an additional £27 million under the Farming Investment Fund to cover costs of new equipment and infrastructure.
Despite these figures, 1 in 3 Brits are now reported to be consuming plant-based milk on a regular basis, the nation is stepping away from supporting this industry. British citizens must be able to trust the Government to use our taxpayer money wisely. By shifting subsidies from the dairy industry to support plant-based alternatives, and by providing financial support for farmers to transition to arable farming or land rewilding programmes, we can create a more compassionate world.
What Can You Do
End cruelty to cows today by adding your name to the petition and sharing it with your friends and family.
