‘Cows’ to Tell Starbucks Drinkers: ‘Decalf’ Your Latte

PETA Will Launch Billboard Asking Coffee Lovers to Pick Delicious Soy or Coconut Milk and Leave Cow’s Milk for the Calves

A mother-daughter duo of “cows” will hoof it to Starbucks in Portland on Tuesday to pass out free coffee with soy milk and encourage people to ditch udderly cruel dairy foods and opt for cruelty-free vegan drinks. The action will kick off PETA’s nearby billboard campaign, which features a mother cow and her baby and reads, “Not Your Mom? Not Your Milk! Decalf Your Coffee! Choose Soy or Coconut Milk.”

Where:           The intersection of N.E. Broadway Street and N.E. 15^th Avenue, Portland

When:             Tuesday, July 19, 12 noon

“Saturated fat and cholesterol aren’t the only reasons dairy foods can break a heart—female calves are quickly torn away from their mothers to follow in their miserable milk-making footsteps,” says PETA Executive Vice President Tracy Reiman. “PETA’s billboard reminds everyone that simply sipping a soy- or coconut-milk latte makes a world of difference for mother cows and their stolen babies, who endure a lifetime of abuse.”

PETA—whose motto reads, in part, that “animals are not ours to eat”—points out that to produce milk, cows are repeatedly artificially inseminated to deliver calves. The calves are taken away shortly after birth, causing many mother cows to bellow in distress for days. Male calves are shoved into tiny veal crates, while most female calves endure the same fate as their mothers: They are forced to produce milk until their bodies give out and they’re slaughtered at 4 or 5 years of age—far short of their natural 25-year life expectancy.

For more information, please visit PETA.org.