People for Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) wrote a letter to Amul asking the company to switch to production of vegan milk. The letter asked Amul to derive “benefit from the booming vegan food and milk market”. The note also asked the brand to stop “wasting resources to fight the demand for plant-based products”. However, this suggestion by PETA wasn't welcomed by Amul's Managing Director R S Sodhi, who later responded to it through a tweet. He shed light on the livelihood of landless farmers. The letter also provoked reactions from many internet users.
Sodhi asked through his tweet if PETA would provide “livelihood to 100 million dairy farmers (70 per cent landless)” and who would take care of “their children's school fee”. He went on to add, “How many can afford expensive lab-manufactured factory food made out of chemicals and synthetic vitamins.”
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Soon, many users fired backed at the animal protection organisation, with one user even calling it an “outrageous demand” and another asking Amul not to pay heed to the suggestions and instead, continue “doing the good work they have been doing over years”.
A third user commented if PETA can “ask the same to the USA/Australia on dairy and meat production”.
One user even posted a question on the price of vegan products, stating that while many Indians can't even afford milk regularly, how will they “afford vegan milk at a very high price on a daily basis.”
Another user wrote, “why can't PETA ask for the stopping of wet markets in China?”
PETA India, on Friday, had tweeted, “Would you drink dog's milk? No. Why? Because nature made dog's milk for puppies, cat's milk for kittens, rat's milk for their babies, cow's milk for calves, and human milk for our babies. Nobody needs milk after infancy or the milk of another species.”
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Indian Dairy cooperative society Amul is based in Gujarat's Anand district. It is also known as the milk capital of the country.