Thailand rejects claims of animal abuse in coconut industry

Thailand has denied claims by animal rights campaigners that the country's coconut-picking monkeys - long a popular tourist attraction - are being abused.

Thailand's commerce minister Jurin Laksanawisit rejected the allegations made by British campaign group PETA - People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals - and said that coconut harvesting by monkeys was not a major part of the industry.

Jurin said PETA's campaign was affecting sales in Britain as well as other European countries.

Thailand exported $395 million worth of coconut milk in 2019, including $71 million to the European Union and the UK.

Monkeys tended to be used only to reach very high trees that would otherwise be out of reach, said Nukul Luk-In, president of the Coconut Farmers Association.

PETA said an undercover investigation of eight Thai farms found that monkeys were forced to gather as many as 1,000 coconuts a day and were treated cruelly.

It said its campaign had led several major retail outlets to remove products from companies alleged to use Thai coconuts harvested by monkeys.