Doncaster vegans explain why plant milk is better for the environment on World Plant Milk Day

August 22 is World Plant Milk Day - this will be the third year that it has been recognised as a national day.

Emma Bradley, from Bennetthorpe, runs The Doncaster Vegans page on Facebook and Instagram - as a vegan, she drinks plant milk opposed to cow milk.

She said: “It’s cruel. Baby calves are ripped from their mothers so that we can drink their milk.

“I don’t agree with that.”

Like many people, Emma’s plant milk journey started due to lactose intolerance.

She said: “Well first off I was lactose intolerant which was what prompted the switch.

“But then I discovered that it was actually nicer than cows milk.

“I started reading into cows milk and found that it was really cruel.”

Plant milk has become increasingly popular in the last few years, it can be found in many varieties and flavours in most big supermarkets.

“There are a lot of plant milk’s out there and they’re not that much more expensive,” Emma continued.

“My personal preference is rice milk.

“I think it tastes like rice pudding, it’s really creamy.”

Emma buys the brand Rice Dream for her plant milk option which is available at most large supermarkets.

“There are all sorts of milk’s out on the market now including cashew, soya, tiger nut, almond, hemp, oat, and coconut.

“They’re fortified with the same vitamins as cows milk such as calcium.”

Emma warns new plant milk triers to be careful when making hot drinks with plant milk as they often have higher boiling points than cows milk.

This can lead to some unfortunate microwave situations if heated for too long.

Ryan Bradley, Emma’s husband is also a plant milk consumer.

He said: “I think drinking plant milk helps for a lot of reasons.

“The main one for me is that dairy cows are led to slaughter after their no longer producing milk.

“They then become the cheap cuts of meat which or sold to companies.

“These animals never see grass in their lifetime.”

Bradley thinks that the environmental impact of cows milk is not worth it as it leads to deforestation and the growth of soya.

“There are a lot of different plant milk’s on the market all varying in taste and variety.

“I like hazelnut or cashew milk myself.

“I never liked cows milk - I was put off by the sores and blisters which develop in the dairy cows which makes it way into the milk that you drink.”