Cows Get Legal Protection

Butchers now cannot procure cows from cattle fairs or mandis for slaughtering.

- Chandrshekhar Shrivastava

In a move amounting to a virtual ban on unregulated trade of cattle, the Centre on 26 May announced strict rules to prohibit sale of animals for slaughter or religious sacrifice at livestock markets and animal fairs that are a common occurrence in rural areas.

These rules will offer protection to the animals including cows, bulls, bullocks, buffaloes, steers, heifers, calves and camels. Officially, the order is intended to end uncontrolled and unregulated animal trade. The rules, however, will not apply to goats and sheep, which are often sacrificed during Id.

Apart from the stated objective of curbing unregulated trade, mixing of milch animals with older and unhealthy beasts meant for slaughter, the move has political overtones in tune with BJP’s pledge to “protect” the cow and her progeny.

The rules are in line with BJP’s emphasis on shutting down illegal slaughterhouses during the UP assembly election and the views expressed by senior leaders calling for the promotion of “cattle wealth” rather than the meat trade.

With the onus being on cattle owners to certify that cattle will not be sold for slaughter or sacrifice, the trade in animals will be more regulated, said officials.

The rules will bring in new norms for the functioning of well-known live stock markets or annual cattle fairs like the ones at Sonepur (Bihar) and Pushkar (Rajasthan) or in other states including Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.

Animals for slaughter can now be bought directly from farms — a move expected to ensure traceability and food safety standards and weed out middlemen between farmers and slaughterhouses, and increase the income of farmers who rear such animals for trade.