Newsletter

Dear Friends and Supporters,

Wales Sanctuary
A number of you have been asking about our retired animals and where they are presently. A big and gentle herdsman by the name of Grahame Barritt rents a smallholding of 11 acres in a beautiful part of West Wales called Mydroilyn, just a little way from Lampeter. Grahame has four of his own cows and is looking after one cow and five calves of our Ahimsa herd. The initial three calves Gautam, Dharma and Padma went there in October and they were joined by one cow Draupadi and two males calves Nimai and Nitai in late December. They have all settled in well.

Whilst the weather was mild, the animals could go in and out of their sheltered barn, now that it is colder, they remain inside, though they do have a courtyard to wander onto. In a report last week, Grahame explained that of the two younger calves, Nitai occasionally suckles Draupadi (who has a very loving and kind nature) for comfort. ‘Quite often, the bigger calves seem to look after the smaller ones; if a small calf is lying by itself, a big one will come and lay beside it, to give it company.’

It is a very close-knit social group and the animals create a nice small family. Grahame often plays some music whilst the cows are kept indoors over the winter period.

Traditional Ghee Production
Another important part of the Ahimsa approach is the traditional production of ghee – a cultured butter which has been clarified, removing all solids to yield pure golden milk fat. Not all ghee is equal in its nutritional and healing value. Only ghee made from organic milk, from pasture fed herds, is regarded as an outstanding elixir of health in the Ayurvedic health tradition. Ahimsa Ghee is made from cows grazing on pristine clover rich pastures almost all year round to produce rich creamy milk that results in pure healthy ghee.

Although modern medicine does not hold the virtues of ghee in high esteem – primarily due to the effects of processed ghee, traditional methods keep intact its pure and wholesome aspects. Ghee is sattvic food (it has a positive settling influence on the mind and body) which promotes good health, vitality and longevity.

In the upcoming months, we aim to have our artisan ghee-maker Rachna Jhalla extol the virtues of ghee and what makes it beneficial and also share with us how she makes our ghee in her home kitchen.

Eight London Bridges Cow Challenge
Being the Olympic year, our partner charity the Lotus Trust has decided to hold a walk, run or cycle event across the eight bridges criss-crossing the Thames for the Slaughter-free Milk campaign. They ran a successful rickshaw cycle ride two years ago, put aside a moment and take a look at this …

Come and join them on Sunday 15th April – click here for full details

If you can’t take part then you might sponsor one of our cow champion athletes …

Kofi Burke from Central London is a keen cyclist and though an accountant in the media world, is not shy to dress up as a cow for an important cause. He led a herd of 25 cows through the streets of London on rickshaws and cycles two years ago (see youtube video above). Kofi will be riding the 8 London Bridges in his cow suit. Sponsor Kofi here	Sheila Chauhan from Hemel Hempstead is an Environmentalist by trade and passion and she creates campaigns and writes about the importance of recycling and sustainability in the media. When she is not regurgitating her words of eco-wisdom she is a keen mrdanga (Indian drum) player. Sheila will be running the 8 London Bridges in a cow suit. Sponsor Sheila here

Dear Friends and Supporters,

We have had a very busy four months since we launched deliveries of Ahimsa milk in July and the word is spreading. We have been actively setting up drops around London and dealing with the challenges which come with starting any new initiative.

The project has caught the attention of BBC and we had a piece on prime-time TV in September.

An endorsement from the former Director of the Soil Association, Patrick Holden has also acknowledged our organic and sustainable credentials.

Singer and passionate advocate for animal welfare Chrisse Hynde said of the project:

“Most animal rights minded vegans share the opinion that cows’ milk is only for the consumption of calves and of course, when buying milk from the meat/dairy industry, no milk is cruelty free. However, if cows are treated according to the high ethical principles of cow protection, as in the Vedic tradition of ancient Indian culture, where no cows are slaughtered, their milk provides unlimited benefits for human health and I am delighted to support Ahimsa Milk and welcome this latest initiative."

We have also been receiving messages of support from all around the world praising the project. Letters from far afield as America, Canada and Australia have been asking when Ahimsa organic milk will be coming to their part of the world and reminding us of the real story of ill-treatment of cows enslaved on factory farms.

Every year, millions of cows and calves are slaughtered worldwide as a result of the modern dairy industry. However, we now have an opportunity to bring about a revolution in milk production by supporting farms and projects which offer a real alternative.

We understand that not many of you are in an area where Ahimsa milk is delivered but would very much like to show your support. Well, now you can, we have just launched our Sponsor a Cow programme.

A message from out Cows

Please Sponsor Our Cows

Our cows’ retirement fund is built into the price of Ahimsa Slaughter-free Milk, but we are a not-for-profit company and would like to put a little more aside for those rainy days. For example vets bills, or a rise in the price of hay – which has seen bad harvest for the last few years. We also guarantee that no male calves will ever be slaughtered on our watch, and we need funds to explore innovative and productive ways of working with bulls. Transportation for our young calves and retired cows to our Welsh sanctuary is also expensive.

Daisy	Darlia
Dharma	Dora
Draupadi	Gautam
Champa	Iris
Padma	Kamala
Rosie	Tilly (Tilak)

Please help us by sponsoring one of our cows by direct debit. You can choose from a whole list of girls all of whom are named after English and Indian flowers.

Sponsorship starts from as little as £3 or £5 a month for which we will send you a certificate of sponsorship, updates about your cow, a sticker and our monthly newsletter.

For £10 a month with your welcome pack you will also receive a fridge magnet and a copy of Ranchor Prime’s ground-breaking book "Cows and the Earth", which explains why cow protection embodies the principles of sustainable and ethical living.

Donations of £15, £25 or £50 are also welcome or an amount of your choice.

Click here to sponsor/donate, or simply for more information

Our best wishes,
The Ahimsa Team