NEW DELHI: The Centre may enact a national law to prohibit cow slaughter and sale of beef. The Union environment ministry has written to the Department of Animal Husbandry to look into the possibility of bringing out such a law.
The move comes in the wake of the Himachal Pradesh High Court issuing an order in July 2016, asking the Central government to enact a law prohibiting slaughtering of cow/calf, import or export of cow/calf, selling of beef or beef products at the national level, and take steps within six months, which ends in January 2017.
“In view of the fact that slaughtering of cow/calf, import or export of cow/calf, selling of beef or beef products and related matters fall under the administration of Department of Animal Husbandry, Dairying and Fisheries (cattle division), it is required that necessary action in the matter may kindly be taken,” noted an office memorandum, issued by Anil Madhav Dave-led environment ministry on December 23.
A controversy had erupted early last year over ban on cow slaughter by Maharashtra and Haryana. There is no Central legislation that bans cow-slaughter but many states such as Madhya Pradesh have enacted legislation for the same.