It used to be that I was just fretting over the idea of the vegan barbarians being at the gate with their plans to wipe out the cows and force us all to live on a diet of twigs and leaves. But in less time than even I could have imagined, the gates have fallen. The hordes are inside the city walls and they’ll be hauling all of the cows away presently.

How do we know? The replacement of beef with genetically modified soy proteins was only the first phase of their plan. You see, even if you put an end to the sale of steaks, burgers and tasty ribs, people still need cows for milk. And since the end goal is to eliminate the cows, that’s a problem. Or at least it was. The mad scientists are at it again and they’re ready to start mass production of milk produced in a laboratory rather than a bovine. (Bloomberg)

The U.S. is the single largest exporter of whey products, with estimated sales of $10 billion last year. BCC Research said the category will grow by 6% annually through 2023. But for all its popularity, all that whey still comes from cows, a fact increasingly seen as a liability for climate- and health-conscious dairy and protein lovers.

Ryan Pandya saw an opportunity in this consumer conundrum. He wants to be the first to market a non-animal whey protein through his San Francisco area-based company, Perfect Day. Like other food startup founders, Pandya and partner Perumal Gandhi are both vegan. Rather than forego the taste of real cheese and dairy for poor vegan substitutes, the pair decided to invent their own version of the real thing. The startup focused on the well-worn food path of microbial fermentation—harnessing custom yeast and bacteria to grow the proteins that make milk taste like milk.

And there you have it. They’re producing the protein whey (found in actual milk, cheese, and other dairy products) using the process of “microbial fermentation.” Similar to the fake, laboratory-grown meat we’ve already discussed, they’re genetically modifying yeast to get them to produce a plant-based version of the protein and ferment it in large quantities. Then you just strap it to a table during a lightning storm and you’ve got “milk.”

You can see how the people involved in this movement aren’t even trying to hide their intentions anymore. In one quote directly from that report we are told, “industrial cattle husbandry is bad for the planet. Studies show it to be a key culprit in the climate crisis and a source of localized environmental damage.” I’d like to say I warned you (because I did), but this is what it’s all been about from the beginning. The vegans want to eliminate meat eating by wiping out the cows.

But I have news for them. You’re going to have a harder time attacking the dairy market. You see, while the cool kids keep buying the stuff, there is no such thing as almond milk. Soy “milk” is not milk. Nothing coming from plants is “milk” because plants don’t have teats. You can drink cow’s milk, goat’s milk, or sheep’s milk. It’s all good because all of that is actually milk and we turn it into cheese and all sorts of other products. Your GMO monstrosity is not “milk.”

Don’t let them win, people. Support truth in marketing laws forbidding them from calling these products “meat” or “milk” or “cheese.” And keep buying real food. Otherwise, you’ll wake up one morning and all the cows will be gone. Do you really want to live in that world?