Deliveries of organic, slaughter-free milk, which comes from cows that will be retired to a sanctuary once their milking days are over, started this week. The milk is produced by the Ahimsa Dairy Foundation (ADF), based on a farm which supplies a nearby Hare Krishna temple in Hertfordshire, working in partnership with the Organic Milk Suppliers Co-operative (OMSco) and the Commonwork farm in Kent. The scheme is the latest development in a growing trend of high-welfare, slaughter-free products.

The milk is only currently available in North London and Hertfordshire and costs £2.25 a litre, with a 15p doorstep delivery surcharge, although the producers behind the scheme hjope to roll it out further and organise drop-offs in other areas if demand increases.

Sanjay Tanna, director of ADF, explained the reasoning behind the concept, “There is so much suffering in the production of conventional milk. Cows are killed years before their natural time having been milked to death, male calves often destroyed at birth or sold as veal, and bulls are slaughtered for meat. We believe this is no way to reward the generosity of the cow on whose milk people are so dependent.

“None of our cattle will ever face the abattoir and we are exploring new ways of sustainably and productively working with bulls. We think people will really be able to taste the difference in the milk we sell.”

Patrick Holden, a former director of the Soil Association, welcomed the new milk. He said, “I am delighted that Ahimsa Slaughter-Free Milk is now on the market and very much welcome the initiative. As a dairy farmer myself I am inspired by this example. It is setting a benchmark for farmers around the world and proves they can farm without exploiting their cows.”

News of the new service comes just weeks after a Harrow pizzeria announced its first slaughter-free pizza range. The Karma Free Pizzeria uses milk produced in Somerset using milk from an organic Jersey cow farm in Suffolk that does not kill its animals once they stop producing.

Speaking to the Harrow Observer in July, co-owner Saloni Ben-Belaid, said, "It's slaughter-free and ethical; it's something that's never been tried before." Ben-Belaid stressed the health advantages of eating such a high welfare product; the cows at the Suffolk farm are well looked after until they pass away naturally. She said, “"The cows aren't mechanically impregnated so it's a more humane existence for the animals and you haven't got all the normal hormones and antibiotics in there, so you're eating healthy cheese."