THURSDAY, March 28, 2024
nationthailand

Want to conserve water? You’d be nuts to drink cows’ milk

Want to conserve water? You’d be nuts to drink cows’ milk

Re: “Milk from an almond? It’s like blood from a stone”, Have Your Say, yesterday.

Robin Grant’s letter prompts me to write again about kindness versus the cruelty involved in the dairy industry. 
Dairy is the greatest water guzzler, as water is needed to grow the cows, their feed, and for drinking – on average a lactating cow requires 100 litres of water per day. Add to that the cleaning required for the animals, the milking equipment and the barns. 
There is no comparison, as consumers have the choice of any or all of these healthy options: soy, almond, rice, coconut, oat and others. Soy uses only 28 per cent of the water used in dairy production. Locally grown almonds use the least amount of carbon and water and have the smaller footprint. Coconut farming requires less water than rice and almond milk. Mr Grant, current Melbourne and Charles Sturt University studies state the average Australian household on a diet of animal products requires 3,500 litres of water per day, while a plant-based diet uses 900 litres of water per day. I haven’t even brought up the animal cruelty, the environment or our health issues.
Diane Cornelius

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