Will you give livelihood to 100 mn dairy farmers: Amul MD asks PETA

R S Sodhi fulminated against the animal rights organisation over its suggestion to Amul to switch to producing vegan milk

Amul managing director R S Sodhi on Saturday hit back at People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India for suggesting Amul should switch over to producing vegan milk instead of dairy milk.

Sharing a media report on PETA’s recommendation, R S Sodhi asked if the animal rights organization will provide livelihood to “100 million landless dairy farmers”.

Taking to Twitter, Sodhi asked, “Will they give livelihood to 100 million dairy farmers (70% landless), who will pay for children school fee.. how many  can afford expensive lab manufactured factory food made out of chemicals … And synthetic vitamins?”

The “exorbitant prices” at which soya milk would be sold will make milk unaffordable to the middle class, he added.

Concerning demand for vegan food and beverages, PETA India had called on the Indian dairy cooperative society, to realise which way the wind is blowing and switch to producing the creamy dairy-free milk that today's consumers want.

In the letter to Amul, PETA India said "we would again like to encourage Amul to benefit from the booming vegan food and milk market, instead of wasting resources trying to fight the demand for plant-based products that is only growing. Other companies are responding to market changes, and Amul can, too".

Pointing out that the demand for vegan food and beverages is so great that a report by Grand View Research revealed that the global dairy alternatives market is estimated to reach $52.58 billion by 2028, PETA India Vegan Outreach Coordinator Dr Kiran Ahuja said: "Much of the world - and that certainly includes India - has turned sour towards dairy over animal welfare, environmental, and health concerns."

"Peta India is calling on Amul to realise which way the wind is blowing and switch to producing the creamy dairy-free milk that today's consumers want." In India, most people would be astonished to learn that the dairy sector is the primary supplier of cattle to the beef industry and that most family farms are now gone, Peta India said.

Amul is an Indian dairy cooperative society managed by the Gujarat Co-operative Milk Marketing Federation Ltd.