We have assumed from the temperate world that the cow is essential; we need to question this assumption. The answers will vary considerably from country to country. I suggest that there are two sorts of country: first, countries such as Bangladesh and Nigeria, where no possibility of a milk industry exists. Therefore, if milk is used it has to be imported.

It is a presumption for us in the West to say so, but I suggest that the sensible action is to reduce progressively milk imports and to look at substitution of other materials. A certain amount of work has been done on soya milk; however this may not be suitable as it may be difficult to produce at village level. There are many other possibilities; for example, if a child with a chronic diarrhoeal problem is admitted to a hospital where I work it is fed on a mixture of chicken, glucose and oil. This sort of mixture could be made up in a village. We need to look at such possible alternatives for infant feeding.