Defence Minister George Fernandes joined the ranks today of those opposed to repeal in haste of the MMPO , which regulates entry into the dairy industry by providing for a system of registration for new units beyond a specified processing capacity and lays down standards of safety and hygiene for dairy units, and shot off a letter to Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee suggesting that a decision be postponed till the cabinet had considered the matter.

The defence minister implored the prime minister that the whole matter be considered in a careful manner keeping in view the interests of the dairy farmers as well as the consumers and pointed out that this could not be achieved through a "short-circuited" decision process that avoids dialogue with the parties concerned and does notinclude consideration by cabinet.

Fernandes has sent identical communications to Finance Minister Yashwant Sinha and Minister of State for Agriculture Som Pal, urging them to put the matter on hold till a consensus was evolved through discussion with all concerned.

Former prime minister H D Deve Gowda wrote to Vajpayee yesterday, urging him to personally look into the matter concerning the MMPO and ensure that no decision whatsoever was taken in a hurry without consulting the parties concerned. "I have come across the disturbing news item in several newspapers that there is a strong move at the government level to abolish the MMPO but I fear that such a move will certainly not be in the interests of millions of milk producers who have formed themselves into several hundreds of cooperatives in the country," the former prime minister said in the letter.

The Indian Dairy Association , the apex organisation of the Indian dairy industry, has called upon the government to hold detailed discussions with allconcerned before opting to repeal the MMPO.

The MMPO was promulgated following the delicensing of the dairy industry and was basically designed to bring in an orderly growth of the dairy industry. It had been helpful to the cooperative dairy industries in further improving their operations.