Two days before Mothers Day 2006, members of RVV staged a publicity stunt and leafletting to highlight the plight of `Britains Hardest Working Mother`, the modern, intensive dairy cow!! We wore aprons, dressing gowns, slippers etc and paper cow masks! And we would not have been complete without an hoover, ironing board, brooms and mop/bucket!!

Two hours of hilarious street theatre and leafletting, brought this issue to the attention of 1,000`s of people. Over 600 leaflets were distributed in total. As well as being very effective, it was also alot of fun for those taking part!

This event was organised as part of Viva!`s dairy farming awareness campaign. Hundreds of similar events took place up and down the country in the days leading up to Mothers Day(Sunday 26th March).

Despite the myth of contentment, a dairy cow is the hardest worked of all farmed animals. She nurtures a growing baby inside her while simultaneously producing milk - up to 120 pints a day. To keep the flow going, she is forcibly impregnated every year and her babies are taken away a day or two after birth - year after year.

Mother's Day was the perfect opportunity to highlight the suffering of these overworked mothers and their calves. Only when people stop consuming dairy products will this cruelty end.

CRUELTY ASIDE, IS MILK REALLY GOOD FOR YOU? An increasing amount of research challenges the out-dated notion that cow’s milk is the best source of calcium and in fact shows that our consumption of dairy products is doing us much more harm than good. The Vegetarian and Vegan Foundation answers some frequently asked questions... See  http://www.milkmyths.org.uk/health/index.php