No more beef; Centre bans cattle slaughter

The Environment Ministry has banned the sale of cows and buffaloes for slaughter at animal markets across India. A gazette notification, titled Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017 by the ministry states that no one can bring cattle to an animal market unless they have furnished a written declaration that the cattle will not be sold for the purpose of slaughter.

The ministry clarified that cattle means a bovine animal including bulls, bullocks, cows, buffaloes, steers, heifers and calves and includes camels. The regulation for cattle business allows only farmland owners to trade at animal markets.

Hereafter, cattle buyers will have to give an undertaking that the animals are for agricultural practices and not for slaughter. The market committees will have to keep records of sale, which should be preserved for six months.

The new rule also says cattle buyers cannot sell the animals outside the state without permission. Cattle cannot be brought to an animal market for sale for slaughter.

According to this new rule, veterinary inspectors will be appoint who will check the animals before they enter the market. The inspector shall also check whether animals are being transported in trucks which are authorized by law to carry animals.

All existing animal markets will have to be registered within three months with the district animal market monitoring committee by making an application to the committee.

By this new rule, farmers will be hit because they will be deprived of a traditional source of income from selling non-milch and ageing cattle. Animal markets have been prohibited from within 25 km of state borders. The rule applies to the whole of India, except the State of Jammu and Kashmir.

Photo Credits : Ruchik Randhap