No review of ban on bull slaughter: Devendra Fadnavis

The reservations of his party's allies not withstanding, chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has ruled out a review of the law banning culling of bulls and bullocks. The extension of the ban, which earlier covered just cows, to other animals after the recent Presidential assent has led to consternation among stakeholders like the slaughter, meat and leather industry and also people from backward socio-economic sections who looked at beef as a source of cheap protein.

The ban on slaughter of bulls and bullocks in Maharashtra, has led to unease in stakeholders involved in slaughter and leather industries and consumers who eat beef as a cheap source of protein.

The beef ban has been criticised by the BJP's allies like the Republican Party of India (RPI) whose leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ramdas Athavale organised a protest in Mumbai on Tuesday. Sadabhau Khot of farmer leader and Lok Sabha MP Raju Shetti's Swabhimani Shetkari Sanghatana has said that the ban should not cover imported breeds like Jersey and Holstein Freisan as just indigenous breeds which were facing extinction.

"Once a law is made, it is a law. There are no provisions to change it after any agitation," said Fadnavis on Wednesday.

"The state government will take responsibility of providing water for unproductive animals. There are provisions in the law. A board is being created and a system is being formed," said Fadnavis, adding that many social organisations were coming forward to shoulder the responsibility of these animals.

While the killing of cows and calves (male and female) was already banned under the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act, 1976, the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill, 1995, approved during the tenure of the erstwhile Shiv Sena- BJP led state government, had sought to extend it to bulls and bullocks. This ban on beef had led to protests from the meat and leather industry.
President Pranab Mukherjee recently granted his assent to the bill which has been pending since 1996. Offenders risk Rs10,000 as fines and five years in jail. However, the slaughter of buffaloes for carabeef is allowed.

According to the 2007 cattle census, the number of cows and bullocks is 1,61,83,527, as compared to 1,53,27,575 in 1961. The number of buffaloes, which are prized for the higher production of milk, has however shown a marked rise from 30,87,014 in 1961 to 60,72,617 in 2007.

India with about 199 million cattle (as per 18th Livestock Census 2007) has 14.5% of the world cattle population, of which 83% or 166 million are indigenous breeds.

In 2013-14, the total number of bulls and bullocks which were slaughtered in Maharashtra was 3,16,757, compared to 4,91,338 buffaloes. The culling of goats and sheep was 8,21,978 in the same period.