NEW DELHI: Indian meat traders plan totake the government to court over new rules banning the tradingof cattle including buffalo for slaughter, calling it a move byPrime Minister Narendra Modi´s administration to hurt thebusiness run mainly by Muslims.
The environment ministry said this week that animal markets will only be able to trade in cattle meant for agriculturalpurposes, the biggest blow yet for meat suppliers facing severalreverses under Modi´s three-year old Hindu nationalist
government.
The slaughter of cows, considered holy in Hinduism, isbanned in most Indian states and laws on the issue have becomemore stringent over the past few years.
Muslims, who make up 14percent of India´s 1.3 billion people, dominate the Indian meatindustry.
India is the biggest seller of buffalo meat in the world,with exports of more than $4 billion a year to countries such asVietnam, Malaysia and Egypt.
But that could change following the government´s May 23notification regarding changes to the Prevention of Cruelty toAnimals Act, made public on Friday.
It requires owners todeclare that cattle have not "been brought to market for salefor slaughter" and for market committees to verify that thebuyer is an "agriculturist by seeing the relevant revenuedocument".
The new rules define cattle as bulls, cows, buffalo, steers,heifers, calves and camels.
"The business is dead," said Aqil Qureshi, president of theDelhi Buffalo Traders´ Welfare Association who runs aslaughterhouse outside the city and sells hides to leathercompanies.
"We will take legal help, we will hit the streets.
Who does not fight for their livelihood?"The environment ministry said in a statement on Saturdaythat the regulation was to protect "animals from cruelty and notto regulate the existing trade in cattle for slaughter houses".
Animals for slaughter will have to be bought from farmersdirectly, it said.
Abdul Faheem Qureshi, a lawyer in the southern city ofHyderabad and head of the All India Jamiatul Quresh ActionCommittee, said direct buying was "not always practical" andthat he was drafting a court appeal after meeting with many ofhis "shocked" trader clients.
Al Faheem Meatex, an exporter in the northern state of UttarPradesh, said buying buffalo directly from farmers was likely toraise costs, given stringent norms on cattle transportation.
"It will raise costs for us but what else can we do?" thecompany said.
"We will see if we can get some relief from thecourt.
"Qureshi said the new law would only embolden cow vigilantismgroups.
Muslims have been assaulted by Hindu hardliners over thepast few years on suspicion of eating beef or illegallytransporting cattle.
GVL Narasimha Rao, a spokesman for Modi´s Bharatiya JanataParty, had no immediate comment.
Government spokesman FrankNoronha did not respond to requests for comment.