Abattoir curbs hit India meat supply
Biggest producing state, Uttar Pradesh, runs short after election of Hindu priest who has cracked down on slaughterhouses
LUCKNOW // India’s most populous state is running out of meat.
After the Hindu right- wing Bharatiya Janata Party swept to power in Uttar Pradesh this month and named a Hindu priest turned-politician as the state’s chief minister, the government clamped down on illegal slaughterhouses and butcher shops.
The new chief minister, Yogi Adityanath, is a strong supporter of laws protecting cows, which are revered by Hindus, and has publicly opposed eating beef.
The killing of cows and the consumption of beef are taboo for most Hindus.
The slaughter of cows is barred by law in most states, including Uttar Pradesh.
“All the illegal operations in slaughterhouses should end now,” Mr Adityanath said at a rally in his hometown of Gorakhpur on Sunday, where he is also the high priest of the Gorakhnath Math, a religious order based in eastern Uttar Pradesh.
“The majority of the slaughterhouses and meat shops are running without licences and government approval.
“I know in the name of buffalo, cows are being slaughtered in many abattoirs. This should end.”
So far, there has been no report that any of the slaughterhouses shut down were selling cow meat instead of the water buffalo, which is allowed.
As government officials shut slaughterhouses and butchers operating without licences or adequate paperwork, tens of thousands of meat shops across the state have closed in protest, adding to the shortages.
Uttar Pradesh, with a population of 204 million, is India’s largest meat-producing state. It has 41 licensed abattoirs, with many more operating illegally by bribing local authorities.
Uttar Pradesh’s government earns more than 110 billion rupees (Dh6.2bn) a year from the industry.
“We know it is a money spinner industry for the government but the party had promised in its election campaign to close illegal slaughterhouses and meat shops,” said Vijay Bahadur Pathak, BJP’s state general secretary. “Money or no money, we will fulfil our poll promise.” Meanwhile, many butchers are struggling to obtain the required paperwork.
Niaz Quereshi, an official with Quereshi Mahasabha, an association of meat sellers, called the government curbs unjustified. He said officials were harassing people trying to get licences and were asking for bribes.
“We are being sent from one table to another and from one room to another by clerks,” he said. “They are harassing us.”
As meat disappears from the markets, many restaurants have been forced to change menus.
Tundey Kababi, a 105-year-old kebab institution in Lucknow known for its spiced buffalo meat, has had to pull its top-selling item from the menu.
“We are not getting an adequate supply of buffalo meat because of the crackdown on slaughterhouses,” said the owner, Raees Ahmad.
“We are forced to sell kebabs made of chicken and mutton. Our customers are not happy.” The clampdown has even hit the carnivores in the state’s zoos. Zoos in Lucknow and Kanpur have sent an urgent message to the state government saying the lions are not keen on eating goat meat. “Now we serve goat meat but the animals are not eating it to their fill,” said Dr Nasim Zaidi, a veterinarian at a state-run hospital.