Cattle politics: The new rules on animal slaughter are absurd

The Union environment ministry’s notification on Friday, banning the sale and purchase of cattle from animal markets for slaughter, is draconian and arbitrary. It will undermine the functioning of markets and is likely to lead to adverse results on almost all counts — be it the quality of life of the animals concerned, farmers, traders, or consumers, who can expect to pay more for every related product, from milk to meat. The changes are part of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules, 2017, and are being framed under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act. The move is draconian for several reasons. For one, despite this being a state subject, these central rules will apply across the whole country. Moreover, the new rules apply not just to cows, which enjoy a special religious stature among many Hindus in the country, but also to bulls, buffaloes, and camels. The move is arbitrary as none of the stakeholders was consulted on a matter that critically determines their livelihood. The ministry’s clarification on Saturday evening that this has been done to prevent cruelty to animals does not wash as no clause banning sale of cattle in animal markets for slaughter is required for achieving that goal.

At stake is ordinary Indians’ access to relatively cheap meat — vast populations of this country, including many Hindus, eat beef — and the livelihood of millions of people engaged in beef production and trading. The move will cripple the buffalo meat export industry and leather goods traders. India is the second-largest beef exporter in the world — the buffalo meat industry accounts for annual exports worth over $4 billion and supplies raw material worth $5.5 billion to the leather industry. And yet the government did not think it necessary to seek the industry’s views before framing these new rules, which, in essence, will disrupt the supply chain of raw materials and hit employment and incomes. India is also the world’s largest milk producer but the farmers and cattle rearers too were not consulted on a decision that will make the whole exercise of raising such animals remarkably costly. For instance, estimates vary between Rs 60 per head per day and Rs 120 in terms of the money required for the upkeep of a cow or a buffalo. But most farmers keep the cattle only till they are of any use as a milch animal — roughly eight years — and sell them after that. Animal markets provide a seamless manner in which this can be done. In their absence, farmers will find it impossible to take care of these animals as it’s just not economically viable for them. Yes, gaushalas are an option but, if roughly 10 million cows are slaughtered each year, then, according to one calculation, at Rs 60 cost per head per day, the annual bill would be Rs 22,000 crore. 

And this would just be the start since millions of animals will keep getting added each year. Clearly, the idea itself is absurd and is aimed at satisfying some primeval religious urge for political gains. Perhaps, the more real, albeit undeclared, motivation for the new rules has more to do with hurting the one community that dominates the meat industry and is overwhelming employed in this trade. It’s no coincidence that the latest move comes after the Gujarat government amended a state law so that anybody found guilty of cow slaughter will be awarded the life sentence. The Chhattisgarh chief minister has said that those who kill cows in his state will be hanged and the Uttar Pradesh government cracked down heavily on abattoirs. The real motive is thus clear.