In a letter to M M Hashim, chair of the CLE's Core Committee on Animal Welfare Reform Programme, PETA Europe Director Poorva Joshipura points out that the CLE's modus operandi is to try to keep the PETA campaign at bay while Indian leather exporters continue to profit from the illegal abuse of animals without making real improvements for animals.
“The Indian government has done nothing to stop the illegal abuse of animals in the leather trade, and the CLE's programme is a sham”, says PETA India Coordinator of Campaigns & Legal Affairs N.G. Jayasimha.
“We will stop this campaign only if we receive a suitable response to our draft MOU and a plan from the CLE which we can trust will be followed and which will have a real and positive impact on the lives of suffering animals.”
When PETA initially launched its campaign in 2000, about 40 major retailers around the world began boycotting Indian leather. An estimated $68 million was reportedly lost by the Indian leather industry as a result of these companies' decisions not to support unlawful cruelty.
The campaign also gained the support of celebrities all over the world, including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, Sir Paul McCartney, Pamela Anderson, Jackie Chan and others.
People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals India
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