In what could be a first such scheme in the country, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday told the Goa legislative Assembly that a comprehensive plan was being worked out to ensure that old, non-milk yielding cows, who are invariably a liability to dairy farmers, are taken care of until they die.
Parrikar, while speaking during question hour said that in the next few months, the scheme which is being worked by the Animal and Husbandry Ministry, will enable dairy farmers to sustain old non-productive cows.
“On the lines of the scheme for management of stray cattle menace, a scheme for sustaining old and non-milk yielding cows will be introduced,” Parrikar said.
“My Government believes in ban on cow slaughter. I’m also aware of the problem faced by farmers who need to feed cows even after they stop yielding milk,” said while responding to a question by Congress leader Pratapsingh Rane.
Rane said that non-productive cows had been a bane for dairy farmers because maintaining the non-productive assets took a toll on the farmers' finances, a fact which Parrikar acknowledged.
"The economical viability of maintaining a cow lasts till it gives milk. Once the cow becomes old, it is uneconomical and unaffordable for the farmers," the Chief Minister said.
Goa had passed a legislation banning slaughter of cows, as a Union Territory in 1978.