“Ahimsa” farming is the traditional, ancient Indian method of farming. “Ahimsa” means “non-violent”, and so Ahimsa farming does not entail any harm to the animals or land. Some would call it ‘Yoga farming’, or working in natural harmony with the land.
At our Rutland Ahimsa Eco-Dairy, we uphold the principles inherent in this self-sustaining and cow protecting method.
Our farm is small but self-sustaining. Our delicious, vitamin D rich, pure milk is delivered to our customers weekly and we have over 1000 names on our waiting list.
We have one bull in a field whom we allow a cow to spend a few days with if we decide she is ready to be impregnated.
It’s a misconception that a cow needs to produce a calf regularly in order to give milk. We control the numbers of our herd, and as all cows and oxen have unique personalities, each member of our herd has a name.
Our male calves are learning voice commands and will not need nose rings as many of the herd have, as they have been rescued from commercial diaries. We do not brand or label our animals. Rather, we treat them as family members.
As part of our energy-saving and environmentally conscious ethos, we endeavour to source ploughs and treadmills so that our oxen can work the land naturally without us having to use fossil fuels on our farm. This is how the land was cultivated in pre-industrial societies, but commercial dairy farms have now done away with the traditional types of farming implements. Instead, the unemployed male calves are sold off to the meat market.
In summary: We are non-violent and love our animals, and they love us too!
For information on how to set up an ahimsa dairy farm yourself, please contact us.
A Revolutionary New Dairy
The Ahimsa Dairy Foundation is a not-for-profit company that was set up to provide entirely slaughter-free milk. Until recently, we piloted our model and worked in partnership with an organic dairy and environmental charity in Kent called Commonwork, and with OMSco – the Organic Milk Suppliers Co-operative. We are now completely independent.
The inspiration behind the Ahimsa Dairy Foundation comes from the farm at Bhaktivedanta Manor, which is run by the Hare Krishna community and remains a unique experiment into what happens when dairy cows and their offspring are allowed to live productive lives instead of being exploited and sacrificed in the name of cheap milk.
No parent would like to see their children suffer. So why should we let cows and their calves suffer to feed our children industrialised milk, when there is a much better, healthier and more compassionate alternative?
At present our girls, who all have names, produce 23,000 of litres of milk a year. We distribute to the door in North West London and parts of Hertfordshire. We have drop-off points in other areas of London and the South-East and can distribute milk and other products when available nationally by mail. We also go to Queens Park London Farmers’ markets on Sundays.
Cows are retired to join their friends in the non-milking herd when they are past milking age where they spend their days eating grass and chewing the cud.
We are looking at a variety of ways of working with bulls. These range from ploughing the land to producing electricity and milling flour.
Our mission is to make slaughter-free milk a reality and establish sustainable dairy farms in Britain, which give people a real ethical choice.
– No slaughter of cows, bull-calves or bulls
– Calves stay with their mums and the herd
– No artificial insemination
– Cows graze freely on organic pasture
– Cows milked by hand
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| ‘I am full of admiration for the Ahimsa project.’
Satish Kumar |
‘This wonderful initiative represents the pinnacle of animal welfare and a shift towards recognising the importance of being nonviolent to nature and to animals in the production of food’
Patrick Holden |
‘If cows are treated according to the high ethical principles of cow protection, where no cows are slaughtered, their milk provides unlimited benefits for human health and I am delighted to support Ahimsa Milk’
Chrissie Hynde |
‘ALL YOU WHO CARE ABOUT WELFARE of COWS must see this. It IS possible to produce slaughter-free milk. Follow these guys!’
Brian May |