Answering to allegations about the unethical harvesting of coconuts, the Department of Agriculture is set to introduce a new seal of approval. This endorsement, known as the Monkey Free Plus (MFP), will be given to all coconut products that have not been made using coconuts picked by monkeys. The move comes after the People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) brought damaging accusations against the industry. Such assertions have had a significant impact on the exporting of coconuts and related products to countries such as the United States, Canada, and somewhere in Europe, revealed Rapibhat Chandarasrivongs, who is acting as the director-general of the department.
The issue came to a head in July when a conglomerate of coconut milk producers appealed to the government. Their plea was for immediate action against the allegations and the hiring of a lobbyist to safeguard the interests of their industry. The controversy arose from claims that the monkeys being used for coconut harvesting in Thailand were frequently subjected to cruelty.
PETA raised the issue further when it issued a tweet, stating, “When you see ‘Thai’ or ‘Thailand’ on a coconut milk can, please leave it behind. The Thai coconut industry widely abducts infant monkeys and later, forces them into picking coconuts.” According to an industry insider, Peta’s allegations, which first came into the public eye in July 2020, have severely injured Thailand’s coconut industry’s reputation. The allegations were brought to the limelight once more in November of the same year and then again in the middle of the following year.
But with the upcoming certification system, consumers will have the chance to trace back the origin of the coconuts used in the products, assured Mr. Rapibhat. He also declared that an official announcement on the specifics of this certification process will soon be published in the Royal Gazette.
In the initial phase, the department plans to collaborate with the private sector. Their collective goal is to motivate coconut growers to get themselves certified. “Promoting the label along with the existing Good Agricultural Practice [GAP] guideline is the first step of the strategy to assist coconut growers to meet up with the modern industry standards”, he concluded.
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