People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) has made an unusual demand to the United Nations. The animal rights group has asked the Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) to change the name of World Milk Day. PETA wants it to be called World Bovine Mammary Secretion Day instead. World Milk Day is celebrated every year on June 1. The day was aimed at spreading awareness about the benefits of milk and the dairy industry. However, PETA argues that the term “milk” masks the reality behind its production. In a letter to the FAO, Elisa Allen, PETA’s Vice President of Programmes, stated that the current terminology makes milk appear “harmless and friendly.” She wrote, “We’d like to propose a rebrand… to make clear what the white stuff from a cow really is.” PETA wants people to know that milk is actually a secretion from a cow’s mammary glands. “Cows don’t make milk because they’re cows, but because they are mothers,” the letter said. “Milk is meant for baby cows and bulls—not for humans.” The group also said milk production leads to cruelty. Calves are taken away from their mothers so that their milk can be sold to people. This causes pain to both the mother and the baby. “Cows’ secretions aren’t meant for humans any more than those of dogs or cockroaches are,” PETA said. The letter also highlighted the health problems cows face. Up to 60 per cent of cows on dairy farms suffer from a painful infection called mastitis. This condition affects their udders and causes pus to mix with the milk. “A litre of milk can have up to 400 million pus cells,” the letter claimed. PETA also pointed out that the dairy industry harms the environment. It releases large amounts of greenhouse gases that cause environmental damage. This isn’t the first time PETA has made headlines for unusual suggestions. Earlier this year, the group asked the Cambridge Dictionary to change its definition of the word rat. They said it promotes harmful stereotypes and supports speciesism—the belief that humans are superior to other animals. So far, the FAO has not responded to PETA’s latest request.