A group of Thai coconut milk producers has urged the government to act fast and hire a lobbyist to move against Peta (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) after the animal rights group made fresh accusations concerning domestic farmers’ treatment of monkeys.
On Tuesday, Peta tweeted on its account: “Reminder that if you see ‘Thai’ or ‘Thailand’ on a can of coconut milk, leave it on the shelf. The Thai coconut industry kidnaps countless monkeys as babies & later forces them to pick coconuts.”
A source from the Thai food industry said the reputation of Thai coconut milk had been damaged ever since the campaign was launched in July 2020 and repeated last November and has now resurfaced on social media.
He said Thai coconut milk had been banned from the shelves of many department stores and supermarkets in some major countries, such as the United States and the United Kingdom. HelloFresh, a Germany-based meal kit provider, banned all coconut milk exports from the country in March this year.
This caused huge damage to the Thai coconut milk industry and saw the country lose some of its 80% global market share, the source said.
Despite several attempts by the government, ambassadors and manufacturers to deny the use of monkeys to harvest coconuts, sales of Thai products have remained in the doldrums.
An effort to emphasise the use of machines to collect coconuts, as well as the launch of the “Monkey Free Plus” certification, has not been successful in restoring lost profits across the sector, the source said.