UP’s war on illegal meat shakes licensed shops too

ANIMAL FARM Industry has Hindus as well, but traders stop transport of buffaloes, farmers refuse to sell spent animals fearing attack

ALIGARH: A sense of fear has enveloped the meat industry in Uttar Pradesh in view of the ongoing crackdown against illegal abattoirs, but surprisingly, the wind is being felt even in licensed slaughterhouses.

For instance, Vishwanathan Pillai, who works as production head at Frigerio Conserva Allana Limited, one of the country’ s biggest--and legal--slaughterhouse cum-meat processing units, said the factory has seen 50% reduction in buffalo stock due to the crackdown and fears that the “worst is yet to come”.

“The traders have stopped transporting animals from local mandis for us because they fear they would be attacked on the way. Farmers do not want to sell their spent animals because the rates have come down. I do not know who will give us jobs if they close our plant too,” said Pillai.

During his first visit to Gorakhpur after being sworn in as chief minister, Yogi Adityanath had said on Saturday: “The government will not touch those abattoirs which are operating as per the provisions of the law and have a valid licence,” adding that those violating National Green Tribunal norms on would not be spared.

But people employed in a wide swathe of businesses from restaurants to abattoirs to meat shops and the leather trade fear that a zealous administration may exceed the Yogi’s brief.

The Frigerio abattoir, spread over 45 acres in Talaspur Khurd village of Aligarh, 150 kms from the national capital, provides employment to 2,100-odd workers, most of them Hindus. The high-pitched crackdown has found support of Hindu rightwing groups and this has made the workers, like Pillai, foresee a bleak future.

“Except butchers who are specialised in ‘halal’ (Islamic) slaughter, the rest of the workers in almost all abattoirs are Hindus,” said an office-bearer of the All India Meat and Livestock Exporters’ Association. He did not want to be named.

In economic terms, UP accounts for nearly 50% of India’s total meat exports, an industry that provides livelihood to 2.5 million people, directly or indirectly. The chief minister has assured legal slaughterhouses would not be harmed. However, abattoir owners allege the administration was harassing even legal set-ups, perhaps to “please their bosses”.

“Why have they (authorities) woken up suddenly? They should have given us time to get licences. I am jobless till I procure a licence,” said Shaban Qureshi, who runs a meat shop near Gantha Ghar in Meerut

“All our three units in Sahibabad, Aligarh and Unnao have all the clearances. But still administration officials come to harass us,” said Ayaz Siddiqui, who recently joined Allanasons after quitting a job at a five-star hotel.

Of the 72 government-approved abattoirs across the country, 38 are in Uttar Pradesh. The association puts the country’s annual meat exports at ₹27,000 crore, which includes ₹15,000 crore from UP. Fearing a ban would mean a loss of least ₹11,350 crore of revenue, the association is mulling a legal option in case the UP government passes an ordinance to ban the business.

“It is not clear why only meat is being attacked. The industry is not only a source of livelihood for a particular community. So many industries like hotels and tanneries, are depended on it,” said Siraj Qureshi, who owns a plant in Hapur.