alarm call

[Guest guest]

An Alarm Call for the alert citizens of India

 

 

 

Make your choice - What you want ?

 

 

 

A few crumbs of Dollars or Pounds smeared in the blood

 

and flesh of innocent animals ?

 

 

 

OR

 

 

 

Adhering to the principle of non-violence and compliance

 

with fundamental duty under the Constitution to have

 

compassion towards all living creatures ?

 

 

 

The Hon'ble Supreme Court of India has recently given directions to the Central

Government to review its meat export policy. This direction was given in Civil

Appeal No. 3968 of 1994 - Akhil Bharat Krishi Goseva Sangh & Ors. V/s. A.P.

Pollution Control Board and Ors. A major meat exporter i.e. Al-Kabeer Exports

Ltd. having their mega mechanised export oriented slaughter houses near

Hyderabad was one of the Respondents.

 

 

 

During the days of acute foreign exchange shortage sometime in 1990-91 the

Central Government was desperately looking for avenues to increase foreign

exchange earnings and in that process it had identified meat export as a thrust

area. It formulated a policy to promote meat export and gave various

incentives for this sector. Over the period of last 15 years, this policy has

spelt doom for the Indian rural economy and now needs to be reviewed so as to

totally abandon this policy.

 

 

 

The reasons or factors for abandoning this policy are as under:

 

 

 

1) The point of origin of this policy was shortage of foreign

exchange. Now the situation is extremely comfortable. The country has foreign

reserves of approx. US $ 150 billions, which works out to Rs. 6,75,000 crores.

As against this, the earnings from meat export are only Rs. 1,500 to 2000

crores. India has since developed many other sectors which yield substantial

foreign exchange earnings such as IT, Textiles, Gems & Jewellery, Engineering

goods etc. The earning of Rs.1500/- crores from meat export is earned after

destroying the national wealth of cattle. Nobody in authority has assessed the

actual cost for earning these Rs.1,500/- crores. The cost runs into thousands

of crores of rupees. It deprives lakhs of people of their livelihood

permanently and affects the agricultural sector by depriving the source of

organic manure, fuel and draught power.

 

 

 

2) There is no monitoring mechanism available with the

Government which can indicate at any given point of time the availability of

legally slaughterable animals after compliance with all necessary laws

vis-à-vis the slaughter capacity set up in the country and the actual number of

animals slaughtered every year for local consumption and for exports. As the

private sector has entered this industry purely for business with profit

motive, they do not stop after slaughtering the legally slaughterable animals

but do slaughter young and healthy animals which cannot be slaughtered

legally. The dwindling number of cattle population indicates all round

slaughter (of all ages of animals).

 

 

 

3) There is an inherent contradiction as noted by the Hon'ble

Supreme Court in one of its interim judgement in the above referred case. The

demands of export market make it imperative that only young and healthy

animals are slaughtered, whereas the local laws in the country prohibit

slaughter of young and useful animals. This contradiction is ir-reconcilable

and the growing exports mean that the local laws are grossly violated.

 

 

 

4) Many arms of the Government have recommended stoppage of meat

export. The Law Commission, the National Cattle Commission and the Animal

Welfare Board of India have recommended to the Government that meat export be

stopped. The Standing Committee on Agriculture from the Lok Sabha recommended

taking steps to increase the cattle population, which is not possible if meat

export is continued. In addition, there is countrywide resentment against this

policy and in a democratic set up the wish of people must be respected.

 

 

 

5) The published figures of human population and cattle

population over the years has indicated that there is steep decline in the

ratio of cattle population per 1000 human population. The ratio of cow progeny

animals has dropped from 278 to 182, of buffaloes from 100 to 93, of goats from

136 to 116 and of sheep from 69 to 60 between a short span of 2 decades.

 

 

 

6) Indian economy is predominantly agro-based and cattle play an

important role for this economy. Hence various States have enacted animal

preservation laws looking to the cattle population of their States and their

need for such cattle. Hence there are variations in restrictions regarding

slaughter of animals. However, for the meat exporters the entire country is a

source of their raw-material and they buy animals from wherever they are

available and transport them to the States where they can be slaughtered.

In this process an animal which is not slaughterable as per the local law of a

particular State gets slaughtered in some other State, where the law of the

State of the origin of the animal has no meaning. For example, a buffalo below

the age of 16 years cannot be slaughtered in M.P. However, if it is

transported to the State of A.P. which permits slaughter of buffaloes above age

of 10 years, such buffaloes become slaughterable in A.P. even if it below the

age of 16 years. Such rampant violation of law is possible in respect of many

other provisions also.

 

 

 

7) We have analyzed the comparative economic advantages and

disadvantages of the meat export policy which can be explained if need be.

 

 

 

8) We appeal to all concerned citizens to write to Central

Government and create a strong public opinion against meat export and

eventually compel the Central Government to abandon the Policy of meat export

and put a statutory ban on it.

 

 

 

 

29th April, 2006 - Viniyog

Parivar Trust