State lifts ban on transportation of buffaloes for trade and meat, slaughtering starts at Deonar

The Maharashtra government has decided to lift the ban on transportation of buffaloes to the state for meat and trade, a move that has come as a big relief to those in the cattle-trading and meat business

The Maharashtra government has decided to lift the ban on transportation of buffaloes to the state for meat and trade, a move that has come as a big relief to those in the cattle-trading and meat business. The ban had come into effect on September 8, following a scare of lumpy skin disease in the buffaloes.

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The government took the decision following revised guidelines issued by the ministry of fisheries, animal husbandry and dairy. On September 30, the state animal husbandry department issued a notification lifting the ban.

Animal husbandry commissioner Sachindra Pratap Singh said, “In Maharashtra, we have not found a single case of lumpy skin disease among buffaloes, which was communicated to the central government. Revised guidelines were then issued and the ban on transportation was lifted.” Singh added that people had no reason to worry about the disease as it does not transmit to humans.

After a gap of 22 days, around 200 buffaloes were slaughtered at Deonar abattoir on Monday. The number is far less than the 500 to 600 animals that used to be slaughtered on an average before the ban.

Mohammad Umar Ansari, a cattle dealer and general secretary of the Al-Quraish Human Welfare Association said, “The meat industry was badly affected by the ban on transportation of buffaloes, as it put a stop to the availability of the animals, leading to the shutting down of all the slaughter houses across the state. The decision is a relief for us.”

Mohammad Ali Qureshi, president of the Bombay Suburban Beef Dealer Association said that business would remain affected for a few more days, as people were afraid of consuming meat owing to misinformation. “Even after the ban is lifted, people are afraid of the disease and do not want to eat meat for now. The situation is the same as it was during bird flu last year,” he said.

Qureishi added that the Deonar abattoir has two panels of doctors that examine animals before and after slaughtering. “The disease does not transmit to human bodies, but there is a need to create awareness about this,” he said.