Advertising Standards Council of India Attempts to Block PETA India Campaign Questioning ‘If You Wouldn’t Drink Dogs’ Milk, Why Drink the Milk of Any Other Species?’
The Advertising Standards Council of India (ASCI) has taken objection to a PETA India billboard campaign that asked a simple, thought-provoking question: “If You Wouldn’t Drink Dogs’ Milk, Why Drink the Milk of Any Other Species?” The billboard, which appeared in Bhopal, Chennai, Mumbai, Ahmedabad, Noida, Hyderabad, and Bengaluru just in time for World Milk Day in June, aimed to spark conversation about speciesism – a form of discrimination akin to racism or sexism, but based on species – through a humorous and light-hearted approach.
The campaign showed a woman drinking milk from a dog to challenge the inconsistencies many hold about consuming animal milk. It encouraged the public to consider that, just like dogs, cows and buffaloes produce milk for their own young, not for humans. Despite the campaign being non-commercial and educational, the ASCI condemned the campaign following an anonymous complaint calling it “insensitive to public sentiment”. PETA India argues rather it is dairy cruelty to cows and buffaloes the caring public is incensed about and has rejected ASCI’s attempt at censure.
When the lives of cows and buffaloes are at stake, PETA India will not be silenced. And India is a democracy, and freedom of expression is a constitutional right. Just as it would be wrong to prevent organisations from questioning harmful practices like child labour or the oppression of women simply because it makes some people uncomfortable, it is equally wrong to try to silence an animal rights organisation for urging the public to reflect on how poorly cows and buffaloes are treated in the dairy industry.
PETA India highlights that cows and buffaloes do not willingly “give” milk to humans. To divert milk for human use, male calves are often starved, abandoned, or slaughtered since they cannot produce milk, while female calves are placed on milk replacers and forced into the same cycle of suffering as their mothers: they’re used as milk machines until their bodies give out, at which point many are abandoned or slaughtered for cheap meat.
The organisation warns that attempts at censoring messages on moral and ethical issues sets a troubling precedent and that overreach and excessive censorship risk eroding public trust in ASCI’s credibility. PETA India also warns ASCI that allowing anonymous complaints – which may be motivated by personal vendettas or vested interests – to dictate content moderation undermines the very purpose of responsible guidance.
In addition to cruelty, consuming dairy is detrimental to human health. Seventy-five per cent of the global population – including most Indians – are lactose intolerant. Bovine milk is high in fat, a common allergen, and is linked to various illnesses such as obesity, diabetes and certain types of cancers.
Just like humans, all animals, whether dogs, cows, or chickens, share the capacity for joy, fear, hunger, love, and loneliness.
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