Global InformationCattle slaughter in India information
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Cattle slaughter in India, especially cow slaughter, is controversial because of cattle's status as endeared and respected living beings to adherents of Dharmic religions like Hinduism, Buddhism, Sikhism and Jainism.[2][3][4][5][6] Also, many of the Zoroastrians/Parsis living in India stopped eating beef out of respect, as it is sacred for the people of Dharmic religions; while it is an acceptable source of meat in Abrahamic religions like Islam, Christianity and Judaism.[7][8][9][10][11] Cow slaughter has been shunned for a number of reasons, specifically because of cow's association with Lord Krishna in Hinduism, and because cattle have been an integral part of rural livelihoods as an economic necessity.[12][13][14] Cattle slaughter has also been opposed by various Indian religions because of the ethical principle of Ahimsa (non-violence) and the belief in the unity of all life.[15][16][17][18] Legislation against cattle slaughter is in place throughout most states and territories of India.[18]
On 26 October 2005, the Supreme Court of India, in a landmark judgement, upheld the constitutional validity of anti-cow slaughter laws enacted by various state governments of India.[19][20][21][22] 20 out of 28 states in India had various laws regulating the act of slaughtered cow, prohibiting the slaughter or sale of cows.[23][24][25][26][27] Arunachal Pradesh, Goa, Kerala, Meghalaya, Mizoram, Nagaland, Tripura, West Bengal, Dadra and Nagar Haveli & Daman and Diu and Puducherry, are the places where there are no restrictions on cow slaughter.[28][29][30][31] The ban in Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh was lifted in 2019.[32] As per existing meat export policy in India, the export of beef (meat of cow, oxen and calf) is prohibited.[33] Bone in meat, carcass, half carcass of buffalo is also prohibited and is not permitted to be exported. Only the boneless meats of buffalo, goat, sheep and birds are permitted for export.[34][35] India feels that the restriction on export to only boneless meat with a ban on meat with bones will add to the brand image of Indian meat. Animal carcasses are subjected to maturation for at least 24 hours before deboning. Subsequent heat processing during the bone removal operation is believed to be sufficient to kill the virus causing foot and mouth disease.[36]
The laws governing cattle slaughter in India vary greatly from state to state. The "Preservation, protection and improvement of stock and prevention of animal diseases, veterinary training and practice" is Entry 15 of the State List of the Seventh Schedule of the Constitution, meaning that State legislatures have exclusive powers to legislate the prevention of slaughter and preservation of cattle. Some states permit the slaughter of cattle with restrictions like a "fit-for-slaughter" certificate which may be issued depending on factors like age and sex of cattle, continued economic viability etc. Others completely ban cattle slaughter, while there is no restriction in a few states.[37] On 26 May 2017, the Ministry of Environment of the Government of India led by Bharatiya Janata Party imposed a ban on the sale and purchase of cattle for slaughter at animal markets across India, under Prevention of Cruelty to Animals statutes,[38][39] although Supreme Court of India suspended the ban on sale of cattle in its judgement in July 2017,[40] giving relief to beef and leather industries.[41]
According to a 2016 United States Department of Agriculture review, India has rapidly grown to become the world's largest beef exporter, accounting for 20% of world's beef trade based on its large water buffalo meat processing industry.[1] Surveys of cattle slaughter operations in India have reported hygiene and ethics concerns.[42][43] According to United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization and European Union, India beef consumption per capita per year is the world's lowest amongst the countries it surveyed.[44] India produced 3.643 million metric tons of beef in 2012, of which 1.963 million metric tons was consumed domestically and 1.680 million metric tons was exported. According to a 2012 report, India ranks fifth in the world in beef production and seventh in domestic consumption.[45] The Indian government requires mandatory microbiological and other testing of exported beef.[46]
- ^ a b From Where the Buffalo Roam: India’s Beef Exports Archived 7 May 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Maurice Landes, Alex Melton, and Seanicaa Edwards (June 2016), United States Department of Agriculture, pages 1–6
- ^ R Ganguli (1931), Cattle and Cattle-rearing in Ancient India, Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute, Vol. 12, No. 3 (1931), pp. 216–230
- ^ H. Saddhatissa (2013). The Sutta-Nipata: A New Translation from the Pali Canon. Routledge. p. 33. ISBN 978-1-136-77293-1.
- ^ How Brahmins Lived by the Dharma, Early Buddhist texts, translations, and parallels, Sutta Central
- ^ Lisa Kemmerer (2011). Animals and World Religions. Oxford University Press. pp. 58–65, 100–101, 110. ISBN 978-0-19-979076-0.
- ^ Clive Phillips (2008). The Welfare of Animals: The Silent Majority. Springer. pp. 98–103. ISBN 978-1-4020-9219-0.
- ^ Stausberg, Michael; Vevaina, Yuhan Sohrab-Dinshaw (23 March 2015). The Wiley Blackwell Companion to Zoroastrianism. John Wiley & Sons. ISBN 9781118785508.
- ^ Mosher, Lucinda (June 2005). Faith in the Neighborhood: Belonging. Church Publishing. ISBN 9781596271517.
- ^ [a] Robert J. Muckle; Laura Tubelle de González (2015). Through the Lens of Anthropology: An Introduction to Human Evolution and Culture. University of Toronto Press. pp. 299–300. ISBN 978-1-4426-0863-4.; [b] Eliasi, Jennifer R.; Dwyer, Johanna T. (2002). "Kosher and Halal". Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 102 (7). Elsevier BV: 911–913. doi:10.1016/s0002-8223(02)90203-8. PMID 12146548.
- ^ Deryck O. Lodrick. "Symbol and Sustenance: Cattle in South Asian Culture". Dialectical Anthropology. 29 (1): 73.
beef-eating is common among low caste Hindus
- ^ Cite error: The named reference
simoons110was invoked but never defined (see the help page). - ^ Arvind-Pal Singh Mandair (2013). Sikhism: A Guide for the Perplexed. Bloomsbury Academic. pp. 171–172. ISBN 978-1-4411-0231-7.
- ^ Michael Carrithers; Caroline Humphrey (1991). The Assembly of Listeners: Jains in Society. Cambridge University Press. pp. 94–96. ISBN 978-0-521-36505-5.;
James Stewart (2015). Vegetarianism and Animal Ethics in Contemporary Buddhism. Routledge. pp. 124–127. ISBN 978-1-317-62398-4. - ^ Lisa Kemmerer (2011). Animals and World Religions. Oxford University Press. pp. 59–68 (Hinduism), pp. 100–110 (Buddhism). ISBN 978-0-19-979076-0.
- ^ Marvin Harris (1990), India's sacred cow Archived 29 March 2017 at the Wayback Machine, Anthropology: contemporary perspectives, 6th edition, Editors: Phillip Whitten & David Hunter, Scott Foresman, ISBN 0-673-52074-9, page 201
- ^ Freed, Stanley A.; Freed, Ruth S.; et al. (1981). "Sacred Cows and Water Buffalo in India: The Uses of Ethnograph". Current Anthropology. 22 (5). University of Chicago Press: 483–502. doi:10.1086/202723. S2CID 146903762.
- ^ Richard L. Warms (2009). Sacred Realms: Readings in the Anthropology of Religion. Oxford University Press. p. 449. ISBN 978-0-19-534132-4., Quote: "First, the ban on cattle slaughter is part of the general doctrine of ahimsa, causing no hurt to living beings. It is not only cattle that are protected by ahimsa, but other animals as well."
- ^ a b "The states where cow slaughter is legal in India". The Indian Express. 8 October 2015. Retrieved 24 August 2018.
- ^ "SC upholds cow slaughter ban". The Times of India. TNN. 27 October 2005. Archived from the original on 20 September 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2013.
- ^ "SC upholds ban on cow slaughter".
- ^ "Cow slaughter: States urged to introduce law". The Hindu. 17 November 2005. Archived from the original on 9 March 2015.
- ^ "SC: Laws prohibiting cow slaughter constitutional".
- ^ "Ban on cow slaughter in 24 Indian states is leading to dead humans on the border". 11 November 2014.
- ^ "Prime Cuts".
- ^ S, Rukmini (4 March 2015). "Cattle slaughter, in varying degrees". The Hindu.
- ^ "Maharashtra's beef ban shows how politicians manipulate Hindu sentiments around cow slaughter". 3 March 2015.
- ^ "the fact is that cow slaughter is banned in 24 states". The Times of India. 6 October 2015.
- ^ "The states where cow slaughter is legal in India". 8 October 2015.
- ^ "Graphic: Mapping cow slaughter in Indian states". 7 October 2015.
- ^ "Cow slaughter allowed in most northeastern states, Bengal". The Times of India. 3 April 2017.
- ^ "Sikkim Passes Bill Banning Cow Slaughter".
- ^ "Centre's Move to Gut Article 370 Lifts Beef Ban from J&K".
- ^ "MINISTRY OF COMMERCE AND INDUSTRY".
- ^ "Buffalo meat exports at over Rs 21K cr in 10 mths in FY'17". 27 March 2017.
- ^ "Nirmala slams Akhilesh, says beef exports already banned". 2 October 2015.
- ^ "Meat export banned, only boneless varieties allowed". smetimes.in. Retrieved 7 August 2018.
- ^ F.J. Simoons (1980). John R. K. Robson (ed.). Food, Ecology, and Culture: Readings in the Anthropology of Dietary Practices. Taylor & Francis. pp. 122–127. ISBN 978-0-677-16090-0., Quote: "... and shall, in particular, take steps for preserving and improving the breeds, and prohibiting the slaughter of cows and calves and other milch and draught cattle."
- ^ Sayantan Bera and Mayank Agarwal (27 May 2017). "Centre's ban on sale of cattle for slaughter at animal markets will cripple buffalo trade". Live Mint.
- ^ "Centre bans sale of cows for slaughter at animal markets, brings restrictions on cattle trade". Hindustan Times. 26 May 2017. Retrieved 26 May 2017.
- ^ "Supreme Court suspends ban on cattle trade for slaughter". 11 July 2017.
- ^ "India Supreme Court suspends cattle slaughter ban". BBC News. 11 July 2017.
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- ^ "Livestock and Poultry – World Market Trade" (PDF). US Department of Agriculture. Archived from the original (PDF) on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2012.
- ^ Lisa Ahramjian and Vijay Intodia (August 2016), [1], Editor: Jonn Slette, GAIN Report IN6115, US Department of Agriculture