Cattle-slaughter ban halted by Indian Supreme Court, but questions remain

Source – abc.net.au

India’s Supreme Court has intervened in the nation’s ban on the sale of cattle for slaughter, but there are questions about how long it will last.

The Indian Government banned the sale of cattle for slaughter to appease the majority Hindu population, which believes cows to be sacred.

India is the world’s second-largest beef exporter and global markets are closely watching the outcome of the case.

Meat industry analyst Simon Quilty said the court intervention had bought some time, but markets would still feel the impact.

“Shipments (of beef) in April and May dropped dramatically and fell on average about 43 per cent, compared to the March shipment,” he said.

“In March, India shipped about 72,000 metric tonnes of buffalo beef and across April and May each month was just on 41,000 metric tonnes,” he added.

Brazilian beef has filled the void left by the faltering Indian market.

Mr Quilty is watching closely to see what happens now that India will begin to slaughter cattle again.

Twist in the tale

The Indian Government is committed to a ban on the sale of cattle for slaughter and hopes to issue a new set of orders in two months’ time.

“Within the comments made by the Supreme Court and by the Government, they are alluding to making buffalo exempt,” Mr Quilty said..

This could mean that buffalo slaughter would be allowed, but the sale of cows for slaughter would be outlawed.

Mr Quilty believes it will be hard to tell until the Government makes its plans known in two months.

“That implies to me that there still is another sting or twist to be had in this tale,” he said.