The New Movie “Milked” with its Star, Chris Huriwai
Mar 30, 2022
Watch Episode 171 with Chris Huriwai:
New Zealand, also known as Aotearoa, produces approximately 21 billion liters of milk every year, or about 3% of the world’s milk production (95% of which are exported to more than 130 countries worldwide). Isn’t that great? But wait until you see the impact of dairy farming on the environment.
Today we will talk about a fantastic film, produced and directed by Amy Taylor, and co-produced by a passionate Māori activist Chris Huriwai, co-founder of the animal rights project Aotearoa Liberation League. Chris is a vegan advocate and 3-time world champion for street unicycling. So, why should we care about Chris and this film?
MILKED is a documentary filmed by Producer & Director Amy Taylor, which features interviews with high-profile contributors like primatologist and anthropologist Dr. Jane Goodall, environmentalist Suzy Amis Cameron, and Cowspiracy co-director Keegan Kuhn. The film reveals the harsh reality behind the seemingly idyllic and green dairy farming tale in New Zealand, uncovering alarming information about the impacts of the industry on the environment and health of the dairy farming community. MILKED presents evidence that we are on the edge of probably the biggest disruption of food and agriculture in history. It points to what New Zealand and other countries can do to prevent the destruction of their environment and change their fate.
Listen to Episode 171 with Chris Huriwai:
[Tweet “You really have to come here and see the landscape to see what it used to be and what it’s now been changed into. This used to be a land covered in huge, tall, amazing mighty forest. It has all been removed and stripped for livestock animals.” – Chris Huriwai]
What we discuss in this episode:
First, let’s hear about Dotsie’s amazing work in partnership with Animal Wellness Action to change laws and policies for the animals. She also campaigned for improving the school lunch program to include soy milk in schools.
Chris talks about his life as a Maori child and how homeschooling shaped his view of the world.
How did his family react when he moved away from consuming animal products?
Chris shares what it’s like inside Fonterra, the largest NZ dairy farm, and how its dairy farming operation is impacting the water supply in the area.
What impetus led Chris to make a film, and why focus on Fonterra?
Did Chris think Fonterra would answer the questions and be open to discussing the issues at hand?
Is Chris expecting a backlash from Fonterra, and are there claims that the film is attacking the dairy farmers?
How do cows live in Aotearoa? It looks idyllic and green, but what is the real picture?
Fonterra exports 95% of its products, and the company is expanding its operations in Indonesia. But what is the true impact of this move?
Do small dairy farmers benefit from large capitalistic companies? How can they adjust to a different life with the agricultural destruction? What subsidies are available to them?
What would people walk away with after watching the film?
A plant-based diet has so many health benefits: reduced inflammation, a stronger immune system, and improved gut health, just to name a few. But can plant-based eating also have an impact on addiction and recovery? Could it prevent relapses and increase your resilience to cope with life? These are the questions that today’s guests, Dr. Tara Kemp and Adam Sud, set out to answer in The INFINITE Study, which researches if there are any benefits to plant-based eating in addiction recovery.
On a summer morning in 2001, today’s guest, Michael O’Brien, had what he refers to as his last bad day. While out on a morning bike ride, an SUV traveling at 40 mph crossed into his lane and struck him head-on, forever altering his life as he knew it. Doctors were shocked that he survived and told him that he’d likely never ride again or even walk with comfort. Yet, in 2022, Michael completed a 41-day, 3,600-mile bike ride across the United States, proving all of them wrong.
Today’s guests are on a mission to empower patients and accelerate change in the way medicine is practiced. They are husband and wife practitioners of functional and integrative medicine and experienced huge improvements in their own health by switching to a whole-food, plant-based diet. Dr. Micah Yu is an integrative rheumatologist and he has a unique perspective as both a physician and a patient because he was diagnosed with gout—a form of inflammatory arthritis that’s extremely painful—at the age of 17. Dr. Melissa Mondala is a triple specialist in family medicine, lifestyle medicine, and primary care psychiatry. She’s one of the first and youngest nationally recognized lifestyle medicine fellows and has devoted decades of volunteer work in underserved communities throughout the world.
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