Article

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Dear Devotees

 

Please accept my humble obeisances

All glories to Srila Prabhupada

 

I decided to not to run the article just yet as it seemed a bit

unbablanced. Maybe I'm asking the wrong crowd, but if anyone has

anything to say as to why reports are not being made or if there

is any defense against claims of mistreatment I would be happy to

hear from you.

 

I have asked the GBCs and TPs for New Gokula, Mayapur and

Vrindavana for their comments as well.

 

The article will be going up by the end of the week.

 

Please find the 'unbalanced' versio below.

 

Your servant

Bhakta Lyall

 

GBC failing to ensure cow protection resolutions fulfilled

By Lyall Ward

22 January 2001

 

Cow abuse. To most in the west it might sound like a joke and

even within ISKCON many might be tempted to ignore the problem in

the face of issues such as child-abuse and the treatment of

women. However Srila Prabhupada often pointed to a direct link

between cow slaughter and the problems facing modern society. In

theory, ISKCON's governing body, the GBC, treats this issue

seriously, having put in place a set of minimum cow protection

standards in 1999. In practice it seems, according to the ISKCON

Ministry for Cow Protection and Agriculture (ISKCOWP), that the

GBC are not fulfilling their responsibility to ensure these

standards are maintained.

 

At the 1999 GBC meetings resolution 507 was passed outlining

standards for cow protection within ISKCON, based on the

principle that cows are domestic animals depending fully on

humans for their protection. (Visit ISKCOWP's website to learn

more about these standards) Essential to the maintenance of these

standards is the responsibility of each GBC to either visit

personally or to delegate a representative to visit each centre

or project that has cows in its care and ensure standards are

upheld and that regular reports are forwarded to ISKCOWP.

According to ISKCOWP's Balabhadra Dasa, the GBC has been

'overwhelmingly negligent' on this score. According to his

figures, by now two hundred reports should have been received

from approximately fifty farms. Only 28 have been received with

only one farm, Gita Nagari, fully complying.

 

As is the case with most ISKCON ministries, ISKCOWP is unfunded

and is kept afloat by the commitment of its members, and in this

case, promised assistance from the GBC.

 

With no funds and no GBC support ISKCOWP is finding it impossible

to validate or deny claims of maltreatment of cows on ISKCON

farms. Some of the more worrying complaints to ISKCOWP include:

 

Vrndavana, India: Claims of over-breeding focused on milk

production. This leads to too many cows squeezed on to too little

land. Allegations that cows outnumber bulls by more than

two-to-one, has lead to suspicions that some of Vrindavana's

bulls are being sold for slaughter. (Bulls are often seen as

useless when there is an emphasis on milk-production and

insufficient use of bulls as workers.) The Ministry has received

no cow protection reports from the responsible GBCs.

 

Mayapur, India: Similar concerns of overcrowding (it is claimed

that the animals are squeezed into one-twentieth the land needed)

and fears of slaughter (following reports that cows here

outnumber bulls by six-to-one). Only one report has been received

from Mayapur. Particular fear has been expressed on the fate of

the cows since the floods in October.

 

New Gokula, Australia: ISKCOWP has received allegations of

flagrant neglect of animal's health and even violent treatment of

animals. The local GBCs have submitted no cow protection reports.

 

It may be that these themes of maltreatment are being repeated

throughout ISKCON without ISKCOWP knowing about them let alone

being able to do anything to prevent them. Particular fears have

arisen as animal welfare groups such as PETA (People for the

Ethical Treatment of Animals) taking a strong stand on the

mistreatment of cows in India (see www.cowsarecool.com). ISKCON

appears unable to take the high moral ground on this issue, it

may even be culpable.

 

In July 2000, ISKCOWP renewed its pleas that this issue be taken

seriously in numerous public and private letters. The response

according to Balabahdra Dasa has been 'negligible'.