BENGALURU: If the Centre’s restrictions on sale of cattle in animal markets for slaughter have cheered up animal lovers, they have shocked farmers, who are enduring a cruel drought in Karnataka. Nanjunde Gowda, a farmer from Srirangapatna, said no farmer would sell his cattle to a slaughterhouse if he were not in difficulty. “But this drought and scarcity of fodder leave us with no option,” he said.
Srinivas Pai of Vamadapadavu in Dakshina Kannada district, who has kept at least 15 milch cows for decades, said a dairy farmer with more than 10 heads of cattle would be forced to quit the business if the new rules are implemented. “However, I welcome the new clause as it would check cattle lifting and transportation in an inhumane manner,” he said. Mysuru Beef Merchants and Butchers Association member Amjad Khan said the ban on farmers selling cattle to slaughterhouses will affect around 5,000 people directly in Mysuru alone in addition to the thousands who are into supply of bones and hide to industries in Hyderabad and Mumbai. Karnataka Beef and Poultry Markets Association president Khasim Ejaz Ahmed Qureshi said more than 10 lakh people are employed in the meat industry in Karnataka.
Karnataka minister Vinay Kulkarni, who owns a dairy of 3,000 heads of cattle, said the Union Ministry of Environment and Forests should have considered views of farmers before formulating the rules. “What can a poor farmer can do if he has a cow that has stopped giving milk? The maintenance cost of an animal is around Rs 800 per day. For farmers with unproductive animals selling to slaughterhouses is an option. If you ban it, the number of stray cattle will increase manifold,” he warned.
Kateel Dinesh Pai, Pranthiya Go Rakshak Pramukh in Mangaluru, said he welcomed the new rules as promised in the BJP manifesto. But the Centre should implement a comprehensive law to end slaughter of cattle across the country and hand out stringent punishment to those involved in illegal trafficking of cattle, he added.