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Meat trade disturbed because of NGT order on slaughterhouse operations
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Tuesday, 11 April, 2017, 08 : 00 AM [IST]
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Ashwani Maindola, New Delhi
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The meat trade has become disturbed in many parts of northern India, particularly in Uttar Pradesh, because of the order by the National Green Tribunal (NGT). The clarification by the government of the northern state, that no illegality will be allowed in the operations of any slaughterhouse, has led to the closure of almost all the local meat shops.
However, about 36 export-oriented abattoirs were reportedly running normally, while about nine others remained closed on account of the non-fulfillment of some of the requisite norms.
State government officials said, “There is no specific drive to give licenses to the slaughterhouses in the state of Uttar Pradesh, and if anyone wants to get a license under the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006 (which is mandatory for running a food business), he/she can apply for it.”
Ramaraj Maurya, additional commissioner, food safety department, Uttar Pradesh, said, “We have no plans to initiate any special drive for licensing of slaughterhouses in Uttar Pradesh. We have also not changed any procedure and rules for getting licenses under the Food Safety and Standards Act. The rules and norms are the same and anyone willing to apply can avail of it.”
The government of Uttar Pradesh has also listed out the rules for the functioning of slaughterhouses.
The guidelines include that meat shops should stay beyond the 50m radius of a religious place, and should be away from vegetable markets. Slaughtering should be done in a veiled cabin, and a health certificate is required from an authorised veterinarian. A no-objection certificate (NOC) is also required from a circle officer, the municipal office and the food safety department for opening the shop. And there should be proper arrangement for waste disposal.
Meanwhile, Fauzan Alavi, member, All India Meat and Livestock Exporters’ Association, said, “The livestock movement is still a problem for the traders, particularly with the recent attack on some people transporting cows in Alwar, Rajasthan.”
He added, “With such a situation and vigilantes, inter-state and intra-state trade has also stopped. People are afraid of carrying these animals. Even the transport of goats has stopped. The local meat trade has taken a serious hit because of this vigilantism.”
Alavi, however, stated that export units weren’t much affected by the meat ban. The meat ban has affected exports, but not much. The initial action against the slaughterhouses has resulted in a loss of approximately Rs 5,000 crore. He also rued that the programmes launched by the ministry of food processing industries (MoFPI), including the modernisation of slaughterhouses, have failed to take off in the state.
He expected that it would take a couple of months for things to normalise.
Alavi added that the crackdowns taking place in Gurgaon, and at other places across the country, were due to the failure of the Municipal Act, which has been in place for years.
Under the Nagarpalika Act or Town Planning Act, it was mandatory to provide slaughterhouses as per the population of the city. On paper, the city of Lucknow has three or four slaughterhouses, but they are dysfunctional. And the situation is similar in other parts of the state and the country.
It is also learnt that the involvement of several government departments has also resulted in the communication gap. Besides the mandatory certificates from the pollution control board, the district magistrate’s office and the municipal office, if the plant is for exports, a certificate is mandatory from the Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export Development Authority (APEDA) for processing plants, storage, sanitation and conveyance facilities, among others. And a food safety license is mandatory for the food business operators (FBOs).
According to a report, rough estimates suggest that 140 slaughterhouses and over 50,000 meat shops in Uttar Pradesh don’t have the requisite permission. As per an APEDA report, the state is the highest producer of meat, with a share of 19.1 per cent, followed by Andhra Pradesh (15.2 per cent) and West Bengal (10.9 per cent). In 2014-15, data from the state animal husbandry department showed that it produced 7,515.14 lakh kg of buffalo meat, 1,171.65 lakh kg of goat meat, 230.99 lakh kg of sheep meat and 1,410.32 lakh kg of pork meat.
It added that that as per estimates, meat exports account for Rs 26,685 crore annually, according to Uttar Pradesh’s animal husbandry department. According to the All India Meat and Livestock Exporters’ Association, a ban on meat exports would mean a loss of at least Rs 11,350 crore of revenue for the state. And if it persists for the next five years, the revenue loss can mount to Rs 56,000 crore. In the year 2015-16, the state exported 5,65,958.20 metric tonne of buffalo meat.
Meanwhile, the ban on illegal slaughterhouses was supported by animal rights activists.
Dr Manilal Valliyate, director, veterinary affairs, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) India, said, “We are supportive of the ban on illegal slaughterhouses. Many illegal ones do not adhere to Rule 4(3) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Slaughter House) Rules, 2001, which asks for a fitness certificate to be issued by a veterinary doctor upon examining the animal before and after slaughter.”
He added, “The slaughterhouses which are involved in exports have to abide by the laws, as the importing countries demand traceability as their first demand.”
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