We are very pleased with the additional publicity

Bruce Freidrich, Peta

The ASA said the campaign exaggerated the link between milk and the likelihood of developing conditions such as acne, flatulence and obesity.

It also criticised Peta's assertion dairy milk was harmful to most children, and said though the cards on their own were unlikely to cause anxiety and distress, they could play on children's anxieties and therefore cause anxiety and distress.

The cards showed images such as "Spotty Sue", a cartoon image of a girl with acne who was squeezing her spots into the mirror - with what appeared to be milk coming out of them.

On the back it said: "Sue's milk-drinking led to her battle with zits. Humans can have all sorts of gross reactions to cow's milk. When you give cows a break and clear you're conscience, you'll get to watch your skin clear up too!"

The ASA has told Peta to stop distributing them immediately.

'Improved' cards

But the campaign group has said it has revamped the cards in line with the ASA's recommendations and will continue with the campaign.

The senior campaign co-ordinator for Peta, Bruce Freidrich, told BBC News Online: "We are very pleased with the additional publicity.

"A hundred thousand cards have already been distributed and a further 100,000 are planned.

"We have changed the cards to comply with the ASA judgement and think they are even better than before.

"Kids have a right to know the truth about the dairy process. If they saw how dairy cows suffer they would never consent to drink this stuff."

'Amazed'

He said 14 to 17 year olds, rather than primary school children, were the target age range, though he said who was approached was at activists discretion.

But Jill Eisberg of the Dairy Council, one of the bodies which complained, said she was amazed Peta had said it would continue to distribute the cards.

"We are consulting within our industry about what to do next, because it would appear that a ruling by the authoritative advertising watchdog is not sufficient to stop them," she said.

"Whilst we acknowledge that some people may be opposed to animal farming on ethical grounds, this is no reason to make unsubstantiated and unscientific claims about the nutritional value of dairy products."