Draft law on livestock market rules vague: Maneka Gandhi

NEW DELHI: Objecting to the Centre's move to dilute the May 2017 regulation of livestock market rules, Union women and child development minister Maneka Gandhi wrote to environment minister Harsh Vardhan flagging shortcomings in the ministry's new draft proposal issued recently to replace last year's controversial notification. She even questioned the rationale behind deleting the definition of 'cattle' and called such changes "vague" and "unimplementable."

The May 2017 notification that banned the sale of cattle for slaughter had defined 'cattle' for clarity. It said the term included bovine animals including cows, buffaloes, bulls, bullocks, steers, heifers, calves and camels.

The environment ministry's draft proposal, issued in March for stakeholders' comments, deleted definitions of not only 'cattle' but also of 'fractious animal,' 'poultry' and 'inspector.'

"Without the definition of cattle, the rules are unclear as to which animals they may be extended to," Gandhi said in her note.

Referring to deletion of the definition of 'inspector,' Gandhi said, "Monitoring markets cannot be carried out without an authorised inspector, but these definitions have been removed making the rules unclear and unimplementable." Though the May 2017 notification had not prohibited slaughter as the animals could still be procured for this purpose directly from farms, it had clearly defined 'cattle,' putting cows and buffaloes among others in the category. Many states, including Kerala, West Bengal and Northeastern states, where cow slaughter is not banned, opposed the notification. The inclusion of buffaloes had led to widespread opposition from traders and exporters. Madras HC had stayed the notification on the livestock market rules.

The Supreme Court, too, had stayed the controversial rules in July 2017. "The May 2017 notification as such had never been implemented. All suggestions are being examined", a ministry official said. Gandhi criticised deletion of clauses on markets along borders. She said, "The purpose was to ensure that hubs of smuggling are not mushrooming along state and international borders." The previous rules prohibited animal markets within 50 km of state borders and 100 km of international borders.