New law on cattle to hit dairy: Farmers

Dairy farmers from Punjab on Monday said the `2,500 crore cow breeding business in the State would be adversely affected due to the new rules pertaining to the ‘Prevention of Cruelty to Animals’. 

A group of Farmers led by Punjab Progressive Dairy Farmers’ Association (PDFA) described the new rules as “tyrannical”, claiming that they would deal a severe blow to the flourishing business of selling high yielding cows to other States.

Punjab is one of the leading States in the country for cattle breeding, and supply almost three lakh high yielding cows — Holstein Friesian and Jersey breeds — to various parts of the country, including Gujarat, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Andhra Pradesh and Rajasthan, dairy farmers said.

“Some rules in the notification of the Environment Ministry will adversely hit `2,500 crore worth cow breeding business in Punjab,” PDFA president Daljit Singh Sadarpura said in a news conference here.

Expressing displeasure of the some rules, Singh claimed as per new rules only farmer having farm land could buy and sell cattle.

“To prove that he is a farmer, he will have to attach the copies of his farm land records. But, there are several landless farmers who are into dairy farming business. Then how can they buy or rear cattle,” he asked.

The Centre has banned the sale and purchase of cattle from animal markets for slaughter and prohibited practices which are cruel to animals, including painting of horns and putting ornaments on them.

The Environment Ministry has notified the ‘Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of livestock Markets) Rules, 2017’ under the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act.

Singh further said farmers could also not sell cattle, which are likely to give birth. “Majority of buyers like to buy cow which is pregnant. This rule will also hamper cow breeding business,” he claimed.

Farmers further claimed that the new rules barred any person other than veterinarian for giving any medicine or antibiotic to animals.

“Cows normally suffer from mastitis (breast infection) and when this problem arises, cow owner give injection of anti-biotic on their own to save their animals,” he said, adding that farmers are usually trained by the Government to treat their animal before veterinarians come.

They also raised question over the new rules under which no person can twist the tail and ear of animal in order to control them. “If an animal is not ready to move while standing in the middle of the road, farmers usually twist their tail or ear,” he said.

Singh said farmers will have to complete a lot of formalities before selling their animals, while apprehending that it would lead to ‘inspector raj’ and corruption.

Farmers suggested the Centre to review these rules, and also urged the Congress led government in Punjab to take up this issue with the Government of India to address their concerns.