Tedious procedures continue to hamper beef import

Team Herald

PANJIM: Despite Chief Minister Dr Pramod Sawant’s assurances time and again, there doesn’t seem to be any breakthrough in the beef shortage issue as the tedious procedures for importing beef has kept agents away from bringing  livestock to the State.

Sources said though the CM made a categorical statement that the beef agents are free to get the livestock and slaughter at the Goa Meat Complex there has been no headway in this regard.

“The Goa Meat Complex will be open for slaughtering, the traders are free to get the livestock and slaughter hygienically,” the CM had said.

However, the CM’s diktat or statement does not seem to have percolated down the line as the tedious procedures continue to hamper import.

The traders said that the beef shops in the State have available stock for now but the stock is coming from the Northern States.

With the festive season at an all-time high, the demand for the beef has grown as a result the prices have sky-rocketed due to shortage of supply.

 “The Goa Meat Complex resumes operations only if traders bring live animals. Getting live stock from neighbouring States is cumbersome process due to several restrictions. For now we have stock but we do not know about the future,” the traders said.

The officials say that the slaughtering in Goa too is a long process.

 “The animals have to be kept for three days standby before passing of fit-for-slaughter, ante-mortem and post-mortem only then the animals can be slaughtered,” sources revealed.

The CM had assured, “I am committed to ensuring that the 30 per cent minority population in Goa are not deprived of beef.”

His statement came after the Council for Social Justice and Peace (CSJP), a wing of Goa Church, on December 19, had urged Chief Minister to resolve the beef shortage issue in the State due to stoppage in supplies from Karnataka.

The Karnataka Assembly recently passed a stringent Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill, 2020 on December 9 in the Assembly. While the Bill is awaiting a nod from the Karnataka Legislative Council, passing of the Bill in the Assembly has already resulted in the shortage.