Indian Buffalo Meat Facts XIV

Uttar Pradesh kills not only its own buffaloes but also many that are brought into UP from other States.

Uttar Pradesh contributes nearly half of the buffalo-meat produced in India. But, buffalo herd of Uttar Pradesh forms only 28 percent of the total buffaloes in India. To achieve its high level of production, Uttar Pradesh has to either kill a much larger proportion of its buffalo stock than is feasible, or obtain buffaloes from outside for killing. The former is impossible, because on the average India slaughters nearly 44 percent of all available males and 12 percent of all available females. These rates cannot be exceeded without quickly depleting the whole buffalo herd.

A calculation on the basis of Livestock Census of 2012 and production and export figures of 2012-13 indicates that India would have slaughtered 112 lakh buffalo males and 129 lakh females in that year. Half of that slaughter would have occurred in UP for it to produce half of the meat. This means the killing of 56 lakh buffalo male and 64 lakh females in UP alone.

Taking into account the availability of buffalo males and females, calculated on the basis of the stock at the beginning of that year and the deaths and births during the year, UP could have slaughtered no more than 33 lakh buffalo males and 36 lakh females. The remaining 23 lakh males and nearly 29 lakh females were brought into the state from elsewhere to be slaughtered here!

Thus the widespread concern about transport and smuggling of cattle and buffaloes for the purposes slaughter is not a figment of the imagination of oversensitive ‘cow vigilantes’. The data itself speaks loudly about the large-scale movement of cattle and buffaloes into the states that have emerged as the hubs of slaughter.

Should Uttar Pradesh, under a leader like Yogi Adityanath, continue to be a lucrative market for animals destined for slaughter? Should Uttar Pradesh, under such a leader, continue to have the gory distinction of being the largest producer and exporter of buffalo meat?

Please amend the Act and restore the sacred dignity of this land of Ganga and Yamuna.

 Read Previous                       Read Next