Krishen
Kak
Circulating over the
web are many nauseatingly gruesome videos of cows in India India
The Directorate-General
of Foreign Trade of the Ministry of Commerce and Industry prescribes the
“Indian Trade Classification (Harmonised System) Classification for Export
& Import Items”. The following points are relevant:
§ in Ch. 1,
“cattle” is only the cow species (s.no.8 in the table there enters
“buffaloes” separately).
§ in Ch. 2, Note 1
says “beef” is....and this is only the cow species. Note 3 refers to
buffalo offal, and Note 5 again has “cattle” and “buffaloes”. Serial nos.
18 and 19, and serial nos. 22 and 23, have “beef” referring to the cow
species only. Buffalo
The 2002 report of the
National Commission on Cattle in its Preface refers to “Sub-Group VII (on
Cattle and Buffaloes) of the Working Group on Animal Husbandry and Dairying,
which was set up by the Planning Commission for the Tenth Five Year Plan
proposals”, thus repeating the officially-drawn distinction between “cattle”
and “buffaloes”.
This distinction is
found in other official records too. So it is clear that while “cattle” and
“beef” colloquially and in
the claims of our so-called “secular” activists may or may not include
the buffalo and its meat, legally
and officially in India
“cattle” is only the cow species, and “beef” is the meat of the cow species.
The legality of cow
slaughter (and therefore the sale of beef) varies from State to State. The
export of beef is banned (though the NCC report and media reports refer to
efforts to sneak this back in, and there are web advertisements openly for the
export of beef. There can be no doubt that beef is being exported from India , with the full knowledge and connivance of
the Indian State
The slaughter of other
domesticated species such as the buffalo and the sale and export of their meat
is legal, though conditions generally apply.
However, the ITC-HS
classification also has “bovine animals”, which is cattle + buffaloes.Therefore, in this essay,
“cattle” is used only for the cow species and “beef” for cattle meat, and
“bovine” is used for cattle + buffaloes collectively. Official data of bovine
meat export is only of buffalo meat and there is official data in regard to
buffalo slaughter and meat. There is no official data of the export of beef,
and there is little, if any, official data in the public domain of cattle
slaughter for beef, that too presumably for domestic consumption.
The NCC report cites
official figures for the increase in beef production from 70,000 tonnes in 1976
to 12,16,000 tonnes in 1992 to 13,78,000 tonnes in 1997. It also quotes a
press report of official sources in 1996 saying that 70% of the beef was
exported to the Middle East . The Export Import Data Bank of the Department
of Commerce shows statistics from 1996-97 which year has the export of “meat
and edible meat offal” but there is no entry for “beef” in that year or
thereafter.
The FAO website has a
report titled “Indian Meat Industry Perspective” by Dr SK Ranjhan (he features
too in the opening para of the Preface of the NCC report). The report
gives data from 1975 to 2001-2002 in which latter year India India Buffalo in India India
If
India India India India India
These views are echoed
on the official website of the
Ministry of Food Processing Industries, which too calls for a Pink Revolution
to succeed the Green, White, and Blue ones. It is clear that, while there was
official awareness of beef export, primarily to the Middle East, till 1996,
after that – officially – there has been no export of beef from India
Curiously, the US
Government presents a very different picture for India India India North
Africa. [8]
The USDA Foreign
Agricultural Service’s Global Agricultural Information Network for 2011 reports
that “according to the Ministry of Food Processing Industries, the state of
Uttar Pradesh in India South India
produces around 17 percent of the total buffalo meat with the state of Andhra
Pradesh accounting for the largest share”. There is aggressive government
intervention to promote buffalo meat production in Andhra Pradesh, Bihar,
Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Kerala, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Orissa,
Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Punjab and West Bengal .
“Indian consumption of
buffalo meat averages approximately two kilograms per person per year” and,
“while Indian buffalo meat competes on a cost basis, there are several other
factors which impact trade. Specifically, all Indian buffalo meat is produced
according to halal standards”. Not surprisingly, “the vast majority of export
growth in 2010 was to Middle Eastern and North African Countries (Only 2 of the
top 10 growth markets were outside of this region). This was led (sic)
by Egypt , Jordan , Saudi
Arabia , Algeria ,
UAE, Iran , Iraq , Kuwait
and Syria Pakistan is
there, registering a dramatic decline in its “beef” import from India , and Bangladesh
The US Department of
Agriculture defines “beef” as cattle meat. The American buffalo, which is not a
true buffalo, is the “bison”, to be distinguished from the Asian water buffalo,
which has no entry in the USDA glossary. The USDA further recognizes that the
American buffalo (bison) and the water buffalo are not the same, and that bison
(i.e., American buffalo) meat is not the same as “beef”. The buffalo that is
exported from India
American officialese
then proclaims Indian water buffalo meat as “beef” all over the world, and
media headlines mockingly trumpet “Holy Cow! India India
The USDA’s April 2012
report on “Livestock and Poultry: World Markets and Trade” also tells
us that India
Interestingly, the Indian
government itself recognizes in the National Research Centre on Pigs’ “Vision
2030” document the very favourable economics and considerable significance of
pork production in poverty alleviation, especially of tribal communities in the
country. It is relevant that, in global meat production in 2012, beef is
estimated at 57 million tons, pork at 104.4 million tons, and
broiler meat at 82.2 million tons. In other words, the global demand for
pig meat is almost double the demand for bovine meat.
It makes “secular”
economic sense that the Indian
State
Please note that beef is
also “not an universally accepted food”, but the Indian State
The Constitution of
India in Article 48 directs that:
The State shall
endeavour to organise agriculture and animal husbandry on modern and scientific
lines 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.
This would appear to
exclude buffaloes.
The Constitution of
India in Article 51A(g) requires that:
It shall be the duty of
every citizen of India
“Living creatures” will
include buffaloes.
Bovine slaughter is
governed by State laws, and the report of the National Commission on Cattle has
a convenient summary in its Annexure II(8), discussed in its report in s.17,
Ch.2. The NCC is specific about certain State governments, notably West Bengal and Kerala, flouting laws, judgments and
sentiments against cow slaughter. “The State of Kerala
can be termed as the ‘Cow
Slaughter State
The following in regard
to legislation of bovine slaughter is taken from the NCC summary after checking
the concerned State Government’s website:
Andhra Pradesh - The A.P. Prohibition of Cow Slaughter and
Animal Preservation Act, 1977 bans the slaughter of cattle females and allows
it conditionally of the males. It should be obvious that there could be ways of
getting around these conditions. The “main activities” of the State Department
of Animal Husbandry and Fisheries do not include the meat industry. There
is an A.P. Meat and Poultry Development Corporation Ltd but it has no website
of its own. There is no numerical data given of bovine slaughter within the
State.
Kerala – no legislation – only local rules banning
bovine slaughter “unless the animal is over 10 years of age and is unfit for work or
breeding or the animal has become permanently incapacitated for work or
breeding due to injury or deformity”. It should be obvious
that there could be ways of getting around these conditions. The Department for Animal
Husbandry has no reference to the bovine meat industry. The Kerala State
Planning Board in its economic review 2011 for “Agriculture and Allied Sectors” notes:
6.69 Cattle
population in Kerala which was 33.96 lakh in 1996 declined to 21.22 lakh in
2003 and further to 17.40 lakh by 2007. The crossbred cattle population which
stood at 22.87 lakhs (67%) as per 1996 Census decreased to 17.35 lakh numbers
and in percentage terms increased to 82% by 2003. It further declined to 16.21
lakh numbers and in percentage terms increased to 93% in 2007. This increase in
proportion of crossbred population was made possible by expanded health care
facilities and artificial insemination services available in the State.
6.71……Though meat production
is increasing over the years, it cannot cater to the demand fully…..meat other
than poultry meat [increased] from 102026 tonnes in 2009-10 to 108398 tonnes in
2010-11 registering an increase of…6.24 percent…over the previous year.
There is no data specific
to bovine meat. The chapter on “Trade Flows” has no data specific to the bovine
meat trade. The State Plans too do not refer to the bovine meat industry. The
State Animal Husbandry Department “is committed to provide MILK, MEAT and EGG
for ALL...”but there is no reference specifically to bovine meat.
Presumably, towards this
carnivorous public objective, the government-supported Kerala Veterinary and Animal Sciences
University
Apart from some gory
pictures of beef carcasses, the official Kerala website is quite sanitary about
its beef industry. This is the State that the NCC labeled The Cow Slaughter State.
It is non-official sources that reveal the reality of cattle slaughter in
Kerala, for example:
The meat trade in
Kerala evokes images of a savage cattle trail: cows and bulls jammed into
trucks and box cars coming from Tamil Nadu, Karnataka or Andhra Pradesh, or
tied horn-to-horn in small groups, trudging across the inter-State border. The
crossover is often done surreptitiously, the animals going without food, water
or rest and with broken tails and bones, dislocated necks, chilly-peppered eyes
and horn-gouged body parts… In 1998, the Swiss Agency for Development and
Cooperation, engaged locally in livestock development, estimated that a total
of 11 lakh head of cattle “migrate” thus to Kerala every year. The figure could
be higher today. Only 4.16 lakh head of cattle pass through government
checkposts, the rest are smuggled in. Eventually, all of them end up in
slaughterhouses lining the State's towns and villages. There are 774 authorised
abattoirs and, according to government officials, over three times that number
of unauthorised meat stalls……State Animal Husbandry Department statistics
indicate that nearly 4.83 lakh head of ‘white’ cattle (excluding buffaloes) are
slaughtered legally in the State, producing 24,278 tonnes of beef every year.
The Department estimates that three times the number are actually killed every
year, the rest in the unauthorised sector, the total beef production thus being
72,834 tonnes……According to the State Animal Husbandry Department, of the 4.83
lakh head of ‘white’ cattle slaughtered in the authorised centres, 4.16 lakh
are cattle imported from neighbouring States. Such legal trade is a mere
one-third of the total beef business in Kerala and there are no reliable
statistics on the unauthorised trade……On a small scale at least, beef is now
regularly exported from Kerala to West Asia and countries like Malaysia
(“Beef without
borders” by R Krishnakumar, Frontline,
Aug 30 – Sept 12, 2003).
Tamil Nadu - The Tamil Nadu Animal Preservation Act, 1958 is not listed
at in the list of State Acts available at the Government Publication Depot.
However, the NCC summary says that from Aug 30, 1976 “slaughter of cows and
heifers (cow) is banned in all slaughterhouses in Tamil Nadu”. It is not clear
whether this affects the import of beef into Tamil Nadu, since the consumption
and sale of beef is openly advertised there. The Animal Husbandry Policy Note
2012-2013 opens with a quote of MK Gandhi - “The greatness of a
nation and its moral progress can be measured by the way in which its animals
are treated”. Some bovine livestock figures are given, and there is a remark on
the “decrease in unproductive animals in the State”. There are references to
“meat” but it is not clear whether this includes bovine meat. Section 10.2 is
titled “Meat Inspection” and there is mention of taeniasis, trichinosis and
hydatidosis. Of these, taeniasis at least can be an infection of beef. Section
11 is informative about the legislation on the prevention of cruelty to
animals, but not at all about its implementation. As with other States, the official website is quite sanitary about its
beef trade.
The West
Bengal government website is even more sanitary about any bovine
meat industry within its borders than the Kerala one. However, the non-official
website Love4cow in “Why Delhi-Dhaka ties ride on the cow” is
more forthcoming. Excerpts:
Discussing the issue
with journalists in New Delhi Howrah
“The Howrah Cattle
Dealer Association in Howrah runs the illegal trade by bringing lakhs of cows,
buffaloes, bullocks and bulls from northern states like Punjab, Haryana to West
Bengal where these animals are slaughtered or smuggled to Bangladesh,” she
said. “Bangladesh
……every third head of
cattle in Bangladesh is
smuggled in from India Punjab .
An estimated 20,000 to 25,000 animals enter Bangladesh
almost everyday through West Bengal alone.
While the trade is illegal on the Indian side, it becomes legal the moment the
livestock enters Bangladesh West Bengal by train, where
buffalo slaughter is legal, but the numbers far exceed the demand in that
state.
According to the NCC, Manipur, Meghalaya and Nagaland have no legislation. Their official
sites and those of Arunachal
Pradesh and Mizoram have pages that do not open. There
appears to be no information on their sites of their bovine meat industry. Tripura has a “Revised
Perspective Plan for Attaining Self Sufficiency in Animal Origin Food” - but there is no specific
reference to bovine meat.
Finally, we come to
mainstream media and other reports on the reality of Indian cow slaughter and
the beef trade. The following are typical: “Growing beef
trade hits India
While the bulk of
Indian exports is buffalo meat bound for Middle East and Southeast Asian
markets, the growing middle class in Arab countries has sparked a new craving
for cow beef…… there is concern that Hindu-mandated bans on beef could hamper
the industry's future growth, particularly in states like Kerala and West
Bengal where the practice is legal. …… “Cow beef could be a very lucrative
business in India India India annually, which some analysts say provide
more than 50% of beef consumed in neighboring Bangladesh
*
“Where's the
beef? Indians don't want to know” by
Mark Magnier, Los Angeles
Times, May 02, 2010. Excerpts:
Estimates suggest 1.5
million cows, valued at up to $500 million, are smuggled annually, providing
more than half the beef consumed in Bangladesh
The cows come from as
far as Rajasthan, about 1,000 miles away. Many trade hands several times en
route.
At the Panso market in
Jharkhand state, an interim stop about 300 miles from the border, the 15,000 or
so cows passing through each week fetch about $100 apiece, local vendors say.
Animals that arrive
exhausted are injected with Diclofenac sodium, a banned anti-inflammatory drug,
to energize them. Most of the traders are Muslims. Many of the drivers and
handlers are Hindus. At the border, crossings are usually done at night.
Most cows pass through
West Bengal state, which shares a 1,300-mile border with Bangladesh
The profits can be
significant. A $100 medium-size cow in Jharkhand is worth nearly double that in
West Bengal and about $350 in Bangladesh
*
“Blood On The
Border” by Tusha Mittal, Tehelka, 15 Oct 2011. Excerpts:
…….illegal cattle
trade, valued by insiders at Rs 5,000 crore……While the cattle trade is illegal
in India , the sale of Indian
cows in Bangladesh Bihar and Haryana and sold at weekly markets dotting the
border. With an average sale of about 1,000 cows in 20 such goru haats in
Murshidabad, nearly 20,000 cows gather at India Bangladesh
*
The NCC report, Preface
(see also ch.3, vol.2):
“We are constrained and deeply hurt to note that even in the
State Capitals, under the very noses of the Chief Ministers, Secretaries and
the Director Generals of Police, slaughter and massacre of even cow and calf,
which is prohibited in almost all the States, except Kerala, takes place almost
every day in suburbs, busy localities and townships, not to talk of villages.
In Bhuvaneshwar, daily slaughter of cow and its progeny is taking place for providing
beef to the zoo animals, as the Commission found, after rushing to the spot and
catching the culprits red-handed.
But whether it is
Cuttack or Patna, Ranchi or Kolkata, Mumbai or Bangalore or Jaipur,
Government’s inability to stop the cow slaughter with iron hands continues, and
the excuse given is that it is a social problem to be abetted and tolerated
shamelessly for years together. The various State Governments have admitted
their inability to stop the coming up of large numbers of illegal slaughter
houses and their similar inability to stop the mass smuggling of cattle to
Bangladesh and Kerala, from the States of U.P., Haryana, Rajasthan and M.P. in
the North and A.P., Karnataka and Tamil Nadu in the South. This admission
should put the present Central Government on red alert. In Mewat, daily
slaughter of thousands of cows are going on with the Governments of Rajasthan,
Haryana and U.P., all turning a blind eye to it, presumably due to being soft
towards Mews[Meos, who are Muslim].
“I cannot understand why in a Hindu-majority country like India, where
rightly or wrongly there is such strong feeling about cow slaughter, there
cannot be a legal ban. In all the Muslim countries, even those who are
considered to be most modern, I doubt if pork would be allowed to be sold, or
served in public places. I think the same would be true for Israel.
Likewise, in some Christian countries on certain days of the year no meat is
eaten or sold”
– Jayaprakash Narayan.
*
When our “Government
looks the other way”, it is legitimate for Indians to ask “where’s the beef?”
because the Indian
State
It is legitimate to ask
why the Government of India
It is legitimate to ask
why the Indian State
It is legitimate to ask
why the Government of India
and so many State governments turn a Nelsonian eye to the stomach-churningly
cruel and generally clandestine domestic beef industry and the
stomach-churningly cruel and totally illegal beef export from India
It is legitimate to ask
why the Indian State
It is legitimate to note
that the major domestic and export markets for Indian beef are the beef-eating
cultures to the politico-religious sensibilities of which the Indian State
Finally, it is legitimate
to ask why the Indian
State
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