The Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act and the farmer’s burden

The people of Maharashtra can now consume beef, provided it is slaughtered outside the state. That is the major takeaway from Friday’s judgement of the Bombay High Court. But is that all the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act of 1976, and the amendments that followed was about? The answer is an unequivocal “No!”.The preamble to the Maharashtra Animal Preservation Act of 1976 reads as,.An Act to provide for the prohibition of slaughter of cows and for preservation of certain other animals suitable for milch, breeding, draught or agricultural purposes. (Emphasis supplied).However, this protection has now been extended to even those animals that may not be suitable for milch or draught purposes any more..One of the justifications provided by the state government to prohibit slaughter of cattle that can neither be used for draught nor milch purposes is their waste material (dung and urine) which is a source of fuel, manure, fertilizer and biogas. Theoretically this appears to make sense, but it does not incorporate the plight of the farmers who bear the ultimate burden of maintaining such cattle..Preservation of Cattle.Back in August 2001, National Commission on Cattle, was established to suggest ways for improving the condition of cattle. The Commission was set up after the Sankaracharyaji of Kancheepuram announced a fast unto death unless something was done to “save the cow”..After conducting a country-wide study, holding public hearings, and gathering suggestions from various groups, the committee submitted its report in 2002. The report highlights a lack of infrastructure, research and planning in states with regard to preservation of cattle..This is where part of the problem lies, out of the 29 states in India 22 have laws that either ban slaughter or the sale of cows. With the new amendment that came into effect in February last year, Maharashtra introduced one of the strictest laws in the field..This continues to be true, despite the fact that two of the most drastic provisions of the recent amendment were struck down on Friday..However, the state government has failed to foresee the ramifications of this new law, because the focus is on slaughter rather than preservation. With over 29,000 villages in the state being affected by drought, providing water and fodder to these animals is becoming extremely difficult for the farmers..According to an affidavit submitted by the State Animal Husbandry Department before the Bombay High Court, there were 23 cattle camps in the fodder scarce districts of Marathwada in 2015-16 with 27,479 animals..This story has changed dramatically in the last few months once the region was hit by drought. As this TOI report indicates, the number of cattle kept in these camps, where water and fodder are provided for free has increased to an astounding 3.2 lakh! While the State machinery is doing it’s best to support these camps, this cannot possibly be a long term solution..To paraphrase Constituent Assembly member, Minoo Masani,.“In India we respect the cow, so we don’t kill them instead we starve them to death”..The initial efforts should have been with regard to preservation of cattle and improving their living conditions. We might have the world’s largest number of cattle but we still lag far behind in their health indicators. Improving the overall health condition of these cattle would also benefit the farmer economically..For it is the farmers who have suffered the most in light of the new legislation. The Hindu has reported a large scale distress sale in Aurangabad and Beed, cattle is either being abandoned or starved to death as several areas in the state are reeling under severe drought..After all, a state that has the highest number of farmer suicides, cannot afford to further burden them.