A former dairy farmer has promised never to stop speaking out against her former industry in a powerful speech.

Jessica Strathdee transitioned from full-on meat eater to dedicated vegan in a lightbulb moment after she gave birth to her first child.

The former farmer said she had a revelation when she began breastfeeding her baby.

“During my time on the farm approximately about 2,300 babies will have been born over those four years,” Strathdee said.

“So that’s 2,300 babies whose mothers were denied the right to feed their young. And that’s something that haunts me to this day because I was responsible.”

Strathdee has featured in magazine Woman’s Day after ditching the dairy industry, but said she’s felt her key messages have not been conveyed.

“I will never stop talking about the dairy industry and the horrors that go in the dairy industry,” she said.

“And I’ll never take for granted my right to feed my own child.”

• Read: Dairy milk sales plummeted by $1.1 billion last year

Jessica Strathdee’s speech in full:

My name is Jessica Strathdee and earlier this year I had my transition from carnist to vegan. Pretty publicly outed with this article in Woman’s Day.

But the one thing I wanted to get up here and say that they didn’t mention in the article which I thought was the most relevant, the most important part of my story, was that while dairy farming I myself was a breastfeeding mother.

I still am a breastfeeding mother and I will never take that job or the honour to be able to nourish my child from my own body lightly after what I’ve seen in the industry.

So that’s 2,300 babies whose mothers were denied the right to feed their young.

And that’s something that haunts me to this day because I was responsible. And it’s the reason why I will never stop talking about the dairy industry and the horrors that go in the dairy industry.

And I’ll never take for granted my right to feed my own child.

• Watch: Ricky Gervais launches into explosive anti-animal testing rant on live radio

What do you think of this speech? Share your thoughts in the comments below!

Oli Gross

Oli’s career and personal ethical values both help shape his reporting of the diverse world of veganism. His background is in local newspaper and magazine journalism, and his work has included reporting court cases, celebrity interviews, business analysis, food and drink features and government legislation.

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