Who is responsible for the shortage of beef in the State? Is it the NGOs who allegedly stop the slaughter of cattle or is it the illegal traders? The finger pointing has begun. Strange, but this is the second time in less than two years that the availability, or rather the unavailability, of beef has sprung up as a major newsmaker in the State.
This week butchers and beef shops and stalls across Goa have downed shutters because of the drying up in the supply of beef and then came the Food and Drugs Administration that issued notices to shops operating without valid registrations and licences giving them 10 days to comply with all formalities. The shops have also been asked to ensure proper sanitation and hygienic practices. That last bit nobody should be complaining about. It is time meat eaters were able to purchase their meat at the hygienic places and a clean sanitized stall they will always welcome.
The complaints are about animal rights activists interfering with the import of beef into the State. Beef traders state that vehicles bringing in beef are stopped and at times even phenyl is poured over the consignment making the meat unfit for consumption. They also state that cattle being imported into the State are set free by animal rights’ activists. This is a serious allegation and needs to be verified by the government and action taken to stop such acts immediately.
If it is legal to import beef and cattle into the State then the government has to protect the traders involved in the business. The slaughter of animals and sale of meat and meat products should be treated like any other business and those involved should be allowed to function under the existing laws.
Goa already has some very specific laws that govern the slaughter of animals in the State. There are three such laws. They are the Goa Animal Preservation Act, 1955 that permits the slaughter of only those animals that are no longer useful, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animal Act, and The Goa Daman and Diu Prevention of Cow Slaughter Act, 1978 that bans the slaughter of cows.
But then, there is the other allegation that illegal traders are responsible for the shortage of beef. This too will have to be verified.
Today, all of the beef that Goa consumes, comes from outside the State, and depending on the season the amount of beef consumed on a single day varies between 30 to 50 tonnes. Earlier traders would bring in the animals from across the border to be slaughtered at the Goa Meat Complex abattoir. Traders say that Goa needs about 500 animals for its daily consumption. As there were issues with the slaughter at the Goa Meat Complex, most of the beef that is now sold in the State comes already cut from outside the State. Now, banned in Maharashtra, Goa is facing the repercussions too, as beef will no longer come from that state.
Slaughter of animals had been temporarily banned at the Goa Meat Complex following a high court order in 2013, leading to non-availability of beef for a while in the State. The order had come following a petition by an NGO in the Panaji Bench of the High Court of Bombay alleging irregularities at the Goa Meat Complex which is the only abattoir in the State. The court had also appointed a three member committee to probe the allegations.
About a third of the Goan population consumes beef and so do many of the tourists that visit the State. A sudden shortage of the meat will also affect the tourism prospects, as beef dishes feature on menus of shacks and restaurants of starred hotels. The Goa Meat Complex, that is primarily an abattoir, has now announced that it would step in and supply beef in the State if the shortage continues for a few more days. That at best could be a stopgap measure that will tide over the current shortage. What is required is a long-term solution that is arrived at fairly, where illegal trade in beef is stopped and only licenced traders are allowed to slaughter animals and sell beef.
