The Union Environment Ministry’s notification banning the sale of cattle for slaughter has given the Opposition in Tamil Nadu a common platform to oppose the BJP, the party that rules the Centre.
Major allied industries in the State, including dairy and leather, have expressed concern over the economic impact from the ban on all bovine stock. The notification will hit farmers more than allied industries, industry representatives say.
All major political parties, including the principal Opposition DMK — which has organised a protest on May 31, the Left parties, Vaiko-led MDMK and Indian Union Muslim league have opposed the notification.
AK Abdul Rahim, State Secretary of the Tamil Nadu Thowheed Jamaath, said the opposition to the ban is not just about a single community. There are more non-Muslims than Muslims who consume beef, he said.
The Centre is intruding upon the lifestyle of people, not to speak of livelihoods. People can understand if the BJP wants to protect the cow but how can it justify extending the notification to buffaloes, bullock and camels, he asked.
A disruption of systemsRafeeque Ahmed, President, All India Skin and Hide Tanners and Merchants Association, said the notification will disrupt an established system where all cattle, including milch animals, draft animals and those meant for slaughter are traded.
The leather industry is a downstream, by-product business, and along with it, dairy and meat business will be affected. Dairy farmers sell unproductive cattle and use the funds to buy productive animals.
Now the meat industry and farmers will have to look at a new system to procure animals for slaughter. This will only add to the cost, Ahmed said. While it may take time to adjust to new procedures, it is inevitable that unproductive cattle are slaughtered, he added.
Another industrialist in an allied area who did not want to be quoted said farmers who look to day-to-day cash flow from milch animals cannot afford to maintain unproductive animals. Now buffaloes have also been included in the notification. The livestock will be starved or left uncared for on the streets.
According to information available on AISHTMA website, the annual production of hides and skins is about 235 million pieces, which underpins India’s $12 billion leather industry. Cattle population in India accounts for nearly a fourth of the world’s population and sheep and goat numbers are estimated to constitute 10 per cent.