Premier League champs Liverpool sever relationship with coconut milk sponsor after allegations of MONKEY slave labor

Premier League champions Liverpool have ended sponsorship ties with coconut milk producer Chaokoh after animal cruelty allegations emerged which suggest that they use monkey slave labor to harvest the fruit.

The club's partnership with the Thai-based business ended in July and Liverpool opted to not continue the partnership, which comes amid a campaign by Carrie Symonds - the partner of UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson - which had accused Chaokoh of unfair treatment of animals. 

Animal rights watchdog PETA conducted an investigation in Thailand which they say proved that Chaokoh were mistreating monkeys, visiting eight farms and noting evidence that monkeys were being forced to pick coconuts which would then be exported across the world. The group also said that the the monkeys they observed were displaying behavior indicative of being under extreme stress.

They also claimed that the animals were confined in cramped conditions and chained to car tyres to prevent them from escaping, and were tortured by removing teeth if they became unruly. 

"These curious, highly intelligent animals are denied psychological stimulation, companionship, freedom, and everything else that would make their lives worth living, all so that they can be used to gather coconuts," PETA Senior Corporate Liaison Dr Carys Bennett said.

"PETA thanks Liverpool FC for its decision to end its association with Chaokoh and calls on the Thai government to take meaningful steps towards ending the vile practice of using monkeys to harvest coconuts."

However, Liverpool have denied that the decision to not renew their sponsorship deal was based upon the report by PETA, while Chaokoh strenuously denied the allegations against them via a social media post.

"In light of the disturbing reports in the news, we'd like to make it clear that both we and our associated parties do not support the use of monkey labour in the harvesting of coconuts," they said.

"As a family business that has exported coconut products for more than 40 years, we are so grateful that so many of you care as deeply about this issue as we do."