The Vegan Society of New Zealand has issued the Minister for Women, Jan Tinetti, a challenge to go Dairy Free for 7 days to mark International Women's Day. Celebrated world over, this day highlights the struggles of everyday women within the patriarchal society. Although fair pay is enshrined in law, women are still underpaid compared to their male counterparts. The female body is still a vehicle for exploitation and none more so than the dairy cow.

Although dairy is a staple of the New Zealand diet, it is becoming more expensive at a time when the cost of plant milks are decreasing. Milk relies on the exploitation of female mammals, particularly cows, but increasingly goats, sheep, horses and even camels are also being targetted as milk producers for human consumption. Cows see their children taken away from them shortly after birth, their distress is audible. They are then subjected to twice daily milking, all so a few companies can make a lot of money.

“On this International Women's Day we are encouraging women everywhere to consider the role of female animals in farming. We're asking Jan Tinetti to go dairy free for 7 days to show solidarity with female beings. As the Minister for Women she is there to ensure women get a fair deal in society, so we're asking her to think about other females in this country, particularly the dairy cow, who gets a very raw deal in life.” media spokesperson Claire Insley explained.

Dairy may taste good, but it is not healthy for humans. It is the natural food for baby cows, to help them grow big and strong, however it often makes humans grow fat and the excess hormones consumed may be what triggers breast cancer. It has been shown that women who drink more dairy have a higher chance of getting breast cancer than those who drink less or none. There is nothing in dairy milk that humans cannot get from plant sources.

There are many plant forms of calcium, including green leafy veg, such as spinach, broccoli, kale etc, sesame seeds, soy foods, especially fermented soy, other legumes, nuts, especially almonds and even some grains, such as amaranth contain good amounts of calcium. People certainly do not need to rely on dairy products for calcium. The only thing to miss out on is saturated fat. Many low fat dairy products have had the fat replaced with sugar, so they are not really healthier alternatives than the high fat ones.

The Dairy Free Challenge can be found here: www.tryvegan.org.nz

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