Vegan Milk Row: Amul Urges PM Modi To Ban PETA For 'Tarnishing Dairy Industry's Image'

Amul vice-chairman Valamji Humbal has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ban the NGO over its misinformation campaign.

(Representative Image/Getty)

New Delhi: Amid an argument with People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) for suggesting the country’s dairy major to switch to plant-based dairy and derive “benefit from the booming vegan food and milk market”, Amul vice-chairman Valamji Humbal has urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to ban the NGO over its misinformation campaign stating that it was attempting to ruin the livelihood of 10 crore people by tarnishing the Indian dairy industry’s image.

Emphasising that “organisations like this are part of the conspiracy to render unemployed the milk producers of India”, Humbal said the dairy sector is an important contributor to the GDP of India but the GDP can be affected adversely by misinformation spread by opportunistic elements like this NGO”.

“To ensure that such organisations stop their activities in India, milk producers of Gujarat urge Prime Minister Narendra Modi to initiate necessary action to impose a ban on organisations which are engaged in condemnable activity of tarnishing the image of dairy industry through misinformation campaign and then harm them by encouraging plants of multination companies producing synthetic milk,” he added.

Humbal said the “Indian culture positions livestock as part of their family and raise them as a member of the family”, adding the question of cruelty, therefore, does not arise at all.

Humbal, also the president of Sarhad Dairy, a member union of Gujarat Cooperative Milk Marketing Federation (GCMMF) - which markets dairy products under brand name Amul – further said the move appears to have been prompted by various foreign companies.

“This entire episode is misinformation campaign and an attempt to break the Indian dairy industry, which is self-sufficient and thereby saves the country from the trouble of importing milk and milk products, and render unemployed 10 crore people who are relying on it,” said Humbal.

“We urge around 40 lakh dairy farmers associated with Amul and around 15 lakh others to write to the PM seeking a ban on PETA. We shall do the same at our levels also.” he added in a release on Tuesday.

PETA India’s CEO Dr Manilal Valliyate reacted to Humbal’s statement and said “Amul has shown itself to be a bully, unable to appreciate the public’s concern for animals, and a business that apparently cannot change despite changing consumer trends”.

“But no amount of bullying is going to change the fact: vegan eating is taking the world by storm,” he added while asserting “India is a nation of animal lovers and now we can be a world leader in compassionate vegan foods too”.