EDINBURGH’S Corn Exchange yesterday saw a protest against dairy farming by campaigners who displayed banners outside the Cheesefest event in the venue on the west side of the Capital.

Some 20 people displaying banners with anti-dairy slogans protested peacefully outside the event, which was the first time it had been held in Edinburgh.

One banner read “All dairy cows end up at the slaughterhouse – down with dairy,” while another stated “150,000 cows are slaughtered whilst still pregnant in the UK each year.”

Protest organiser Kate Powell said: “Because people had already bought their tickets we were not trying to get them to stop going in to eat the cheese.

“We disagree with the dairy industry and we try to show people why, though not by using emotive language but by showing the facts we have discovered.

“A lot of people think that dairy is like Old Macdonald’s farm and a benign industry and we have come to the conclusion that is not the reality.

“We had representatives from different animal rights activists but the main groups were the Save Movement Scotland and Anonymous for the Voiceless who speak up for animals that can’t speak up for themselves.”

The National tried to contact Cheesefest organisers but there was no reply by the time we went to press.