Even as cattle and meat trade have been struggling to recover from the crackdown against illegal abattoirs and illegal transportation of animals by the Yogi Adityanath government since March, the ban on cattle sale for slaughter at markets by the Center has jolted the industry.
What jolts more, the Union Environment ministry notification on May 26 vide 'Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of livestock Market) Rules, 2017' has brought cattle markets across the state to a stand still. The rules notified have also hit farmers as the law covers buffalo which cannot be sold in the market for slaughter.
licensed slaughter houses in west UP are also facing the heat of the rules as they are unable to sources cattle from nearby markets. As per new rules, they are required to source cattle directly from farmers. Cattle sellers mostly the farmers are least interested in what the buyers do with animals so long as they get a price discovered through bidding or negotiations.
"In all 75 districts of UP, around 900 cattle markets are organized on weekly and fortnightly basis and are licensed by district panchayats and urban local bodies. The Animal Husbandry department is responsible for enforcement of `Prevention of Cruelty towards Animals Rules' and certification of animals as healthy brought in the market,’’said Director of Animal Husbandry department, Dr CS Yadav.
The official added, "It is for the state government to decide as to when the rules notified by Union Environment ministry would be enforced in UP.’’
Dr Yadav said that the new rules have been challenged in High Courts in Tamilnadu and Kerala while several other states have refused to implement the rules.
Former member of State Planning Commission, Sudhir Pawar opined, "The rules enforced by the Union environment ministry are absurd and impossible to implement as infrastructure required under the new law is not available. Instead of doing any good to the rural economy, these rules have dealt a huge blow to cattle markets in rural and semi-urban areas. Both buyers and sellers are scared and fear the wrath of cow vigilantes and extortion by the police.’’
Pawar added, "Before attempting to regulate the cattle market with stringent laws, the government should provide infrastructure in cattle markets across the state.’’
Meanwhile, slaughter house promoter in Saharanpur Haji Fazlur Rahman said, "The rules are yet to be enforced in UP. Its negative impact on the market is visible in all districts of west UP as both cattle traders and farmers are not coming to the market. The licensed capacity of my abattoir is 600 heads per day but my plant is running at 50 percent of the capacity as cattle are not available and we are incurring losses.’’
Farmer leader from Saharanpur Yogesh Dahiya said, "Meat and milk are two sides of the same coin of rural economy. If the farmers are prevented from selling unproductive buffalo for slaughter then they will not be able to buy new milch buffalo. This would adversely impact the rural economy in general and farmers in particular.’’
Dahiya said that if the rules were not amended then it would have a huge impact on the economy of the state threatening jobs of several million people engaged in cattle trade, meat and tannery