Sc Panel Adds Meat To Al Kabir Plea

An expert committee appointed by the Supreme Court has submitted a report stating that there was enough cattle wealth in Andhra Pradesh to enable the Al Kabeer meat export firm to work at full capacity.

The Rs 600 crore export firm is caught in protracted public interest litigation mooted by cow protection groups and environmentalists. The Andhra Pradesh High Court had given it green signal last year. On appeal, the Supreme Court allowed it to work at half its full capacity, pending the final decision.

When the case was taken up this week, the company complained that it was losing Rs 9 crore annually since the litigation started, and at this rate it would have to close down. The court promised an early decision.

The court in March had appointed an expert panel headed by G S Rau, Economic and Statistical Adviser, and consisting of N Kondiaiah, joint commissioner, and others in the central government. The panel came to its conclusion after analysing the data provided by the state for the four years the abattoir was functioning since 1993. It emphasised that there would not be any depletion of livestock, especially buffalo, sheep and goat in the Telengana region and contiguous districts.On the controversial points in the earlier reports, the present committee stressed that slaughter of unproductive animals was essential for sustaining animal production; it saves fodder and improves breed and productivity. Regarding slaughter of younger animals, the experts stated that the abattoir was using only the older animals as the consumers in the exported countries preferred tougher meat and showed no preference for tender meat.

Moreover, the heat process used in the Al Kabeer factory tenderises the meat according to the consumers preferences. Meat of younger animals is not suitable for such treatment, the report said.