DCFA Pakistan demands inquiry against the professors involved in UVAS Fresh Milk Survey
DCFA Pakistan demands high level inquiry against the professors involved in UVAS Fresh Milk Survey. For this purpose, President DCFA has written letters to PM, COAS as well as Chairman HEC. Furthermore, Shakir Umer says that a committee should probe this matter. In addition to this, the Committee should also identify the forces behind this. He says that this is the continuity of the organized campaign against fresh milk. Small farmers are the backbone of the national economy and national food security.
فارمر دشمن قوتیں تازہ دودھ سروے کے پیچھے؛ ویٹرنری یونیورسٹی کے اقدام کی مذمت، لاہور میں پریس کانفرنس
A letter has been written by the President of Dairy and Cattle Farmers Association Pakistan, Shakir Umar Gujjar, to the Prime Minister of Pakistan, Chief of Army Staff and Chairman Higher Education Commission regarding the survey conducted by the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences (UVAS), Lahore against fresh milk. The letter has demanded that a high-level investigation be conducted against the professors of the Veterinary University, Lahore, who have become tools of anti-farmer forces under the guise of research.
Objections to the UVAS Fresh Milk Survey
The letter states that a survey has been conducted by some professors of the University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore regarding the quality of fresh milk. According to this survey, 92 percent of the milk sold in the market is substandard. The university has derived these results for the whole of Pakistan on the basis of about 1,200 samples taken from eleven cities.
تازہ دودھ کے خلاف تشہیر کرنیوالے چینلز کو پیمرا کی وارننگ، مستقبل میں ایسا مواد نشر نہ کیا جائے
Instead of publishing this research in a scientific journal, its results were first announced at a big event held at a five-star hotel in Lahore. For this, the media was specially invited, after which major newspapers and television channels published these results, while vlogs were also made on it. On the other hand, a specific social media page, which has been part of an organized campaign against fresh milk before, was also used to promote this survey.
Concerns Over Impact on Farmers and the Dairy Sector
The letter further states that Pakistan is an agricultural country and livestock plays an important role in its traditional agricultural cycle. There are more than 80 percent small farmers in Pakistan who run their home kitchens along with agriculture and sell milk on a daily basis. These small livestock farmers are serving the entire nation by taking care of animals.
According to the letter, these small farmers are the foundation of Pakistan’s national food security and rural economy as well as the country’s economy. It further states that the Veterinary University was established for the survival and support of these farmers, but today the same university is seen brazenly standing with these professors by becoming a part of what the association describes as an anti-farmer campaign.
Allegations of an Organized Campaign Against Fresh Milk
The letter further alleges that for the past three years, anti-farmer forces have been running a systematic campaign against fresh milk to destroy Pakistan’s dairy sector and small farmers.
According to the association, farmers are being exploited by importing whey powder and skimmed milk powder in large quantities in the name of dry milk, while at the same time a systematic campaign is being launched against fresh milk. The letter notes that PEMRA has previously banned advertising campaigns against fresh milk on national television channels involving the Pakistan Medical Association and various television anchors.
The association claims that university professors may now have been used by the same forces. It further alleges that these forces aim to eliminate the fresh milk market and replace it through negative marketing tactics. According to the letter, these forces are not hesitating to harm farmers in pursuit of their objectives.
Questions Raised About UVAS Fresh Milk Survey
The letter states that the survey is not only a conspiracy to damage farmers but also a plan to defame Pakistan’s relevant institutions. It argues that if such a large quantity of milk is actually substandard, then serious questions arise regarding the performance of livestock institutions, food authorities and the government.
In the letter addressed to the country’s top officials, Shakir Umar Gujjar, President of the Dairy and Cattle Farmers Association Pakistan, further stated that if conflicts of interest and biased surveys and research are allowed to continue, anyone could start using universities to harm their opponents. According to the association, such practices would damage the credibility and reputation of Pakistan’s universities.
Demand for a High-Level Investigation into UVAS Fresh Milk Survey
The association has requested the formation of a high-level investigation committee to determine:
- Who is behind this survey?
- Who funded this survey?
- Did any administrative body ask the university to conduct this survey?
- Was permission obtained from any competent administrative authority before conducting the survey?
- Who arranged the media presentation of the survey results?
- Who financed the event organized to release the survey findings?
- Who is benefiting from the results of this survey?
- Why was a specific product chosen for this survey?
- If the reported findings were genuine, why were they publicized through the national media instead of first addressing the issue among farmers and milk sellers?
Association Demands Strict Action against UVAS Fresh Milk Survey
The Dairy and Cattle Farmers Association Pakistan has requested the government to take strict action regarding the survey and to bring the professors involved to justice. According to the letter, such action is necessary to ensure that no university is used in this manner in the future.
