NEW DELHI: The Supreme Court on Friday sought a response from the Central government and states on a plea seeking appropriate steps for educating the farmers and livestock owners about the benefits of Indigenous Cattle and the long-term harmful effects and unsustainability of rearing Exotic/ Crossbred Cattle.
The plea elaborates that currently there are two species of Cattle used in India are the Indigenous Breeds which have existed in India for thousands of years and the Exotic/ Foreign Cattle which have been imported/ whose semen has been artificially inseminated into Indigenous Breeds, in a bid to increase milk production.
It says that over the past few decades, India’s single-minded pursuit of increasing milk production has resulted in a steady decline in the population of its Indigenous Breeds with a simultaneous manifold increase in the number of Exotic / Cross Breeds, as evidenced by a bare perusal of the various Livestock Censuses issued by the Central Government from time to time.
The Petitioner Divya Reddy is an Indigenous Cattle conservationist and the Founder of a Gaushala called Klimom Wellness and Farms where she currently has over 250 Gir Cows.
It is submitted that Indigenous Breeds have been reared in India for thousands of years and have always been an integral part of our traditions and culture.
“They cannot be allowed to be marginalized at the cost of Exotic/ Foreign Cattle only for the sake of increasing milk production. Indigenous Cattle have various other benefits and attributes that contribute to the Indian society and economy that cannot be found in Exotic/ Foreign Cattle,” the plea contends.
The petition filed by Advocate Krishna Dev Jagarlamudi says that it is the duty and responsibility of every citizen of this country to protect, promote and propagate our Indigenous Breeds.
The plea says that the governments ought to actively work towards increasing the population of our indigenous breeds by encouraging/directing that Non-Descript Indigenous Cattle be artificially inseminated with Pure Indigenous Breeds and not Exotic / Crossbred Cattle.
It adds that Article 48 of the Constitution of India directs the States to take steps for preserving and improving the various breeds in India.
“Because the rate of decline of Indigenous Cattle and the increase of the Exotic / Crossbred Cattle is a cause for serious concern. If this trend is further encouraged or even allowed to continue with no action from the Governments, we will be forced to face a day where India cannot proudly claim any breed of cattle as its own," it reads.
“Because swift and decisive action in the short term, coupled with a sustainable long-term plan is required from the Central and State Governments in order to sufficiently protect and promote the diminishing population of Indigenous Breeds in India,” it added.
The plea also seeks directions to the respondents to make available and adequately distribute semen of indigenous breeds for the purpose of artificially inseminating Non-Descript Cattle.
It further seeks directions to declare the action of the governments in promoting and encouraging artificial insemination of Non-Descript Cows using semen from ‘Exotic’ Foreign Breeds such as Holstein Friesian and Jersey, including through their Breeding Policies, as being arbitrary and not in consonance with Article 48 of the Constitution of India.