The draft norms mandate the formation of a committee at each district to prevent cruelty at animal markets
The Centre has rolled back last year’s controversial decision banning the sale of cattle, including buffaloes, for slaughter. The environment ministry has now brought out the Draft Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Animal Markets Rules, 2018, and has completely done away with the clause that banned both, the buyer and the seller, from trading cattle for slaughter.
The draft regulation has also omitted the lengthy procedure from the 2017 Rules that required the seller to attest that the cattle were not being sold for slaughter. It has also omitted a section that defined what constitutes cattle.
The proposed norms mandate the formation of a committee to prevent cruelty in animal markets in each district, replacing the earlier district animal market monitoring committee. They will comprise the district magistrate, one representative of state animal welfare board, superintendent of police of the district, one representative of a local non-governmental organization, one member of the society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, district veterinary officer, representatives from zilla parishad and chairman of the municipality.
The draft rules have retained provisions with regards to facilities to be provided for the animals such as water, feed storage and health check-ups and the markets have to maintain a detailed record of the cattle sale. Sale of unfit and young animals, though, will still be banned. As per the new rules, young, ill, infirm, diseased, injured or fatigued animals will be considered as an unfit animal. The draft is dated March 22 and it will be open to objections and suggestions for a month.
Last May, the Ministry of Environment, Forest and Climate Change had notified the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Regulation of Livestock Markets) Rules on the directives of the Supreme Court (SC), to curb cattle smuggling and to treat them more humanely. But, the Rules also summarily banned sale and purchase of cattle for slaughter. The indirect ban on beef sparked a massive row as the government was accused of meddling in food choices and some state governments charged the Centre with arbitrary decision-making. The move also drew criticism from the meat export industry.
Kerala, West Bengal, Karnataka, Mizoram, Meghalaya were at the forefront in attacking the Centre for banning slaughter even as the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act did not ban it. The Rules were immediately challenged before the Madurai bench of Madras High Court, which stayed it. The SC then extended the stay across the country. Following the SC’s stay on the clauses pertaining to sale for slaughter, the Centre went back to the drawing board and began consultations with state governments in August last year.
It sought responses from the states and meat exports industry. DNA had reported last month that Kerala, Karnataka, Mizoram expressed strong reservations against the 2016 Rules had questioned its legal basis.
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