THE dairy industry is set to splash out £1.2million on a marketing campaign to counter attacks from vegan activists.

The campaign will be led by Dairy UK and the Agriculture and Horticulture Development Board, trade magazine The Grocer reported yesterday.

Dairy UK chief executive Judith Bryans told the magazine: ‘This gives us a great opportunity to re-establish our credentials and celebrate dairy.’

News of the campaign comes as the dairy sector struggles to ward off attacks from an increasingly vocal vegan lobby.

Anti-dairy groups marked the first World Plant Milk Day on August 22 and last weekend thousands of protesters marched in London.

Last month a campaigning vegan group won the right to state that the milk sitting on millions of breakfast tables is not produced humanely.

The organisation Go Vegan World painted a horrifying picture of calves being taken from their mothers so we can have the milk they produce.

The portrayal drew complaints from the dairy industry that it painted an inaccurate and misleading picture.

However, the Advertising Standards Authority backed the accuracy of the vegan message.

Sales of cow’s milk have been declining as consumers switch to non-animal almond and soya alternatives. In addition, milk has suffered from the fact that more people are diagnosing themselves as lactose intolerant.