‘Thousands of milch animals are slaughtered, trafficked to Bangladesh, Middle East’

Maintaining that illegal trading of slaughtered milch animals funded terrorism, Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi called for a ban on export of meat products.

“India is the largest exporter of meat in the world. India kills more animals than China. Milch animals are being slaughtered and illegally traded to Bangladesh and the Middle East,” Ms. Gandhi said, speaking at the concluding session of a three-day international conference on “India for Animals” here on Sunday.

Quoting an Uttar Pradesh Police report, Ms. Gandhi said the money made from illegal trade of animals was being used to manufacture bombs targeting India. “Why are we allowing it?” she asked.

Clarifying that it was not a “political or religious issue” but an economic one, Ms. Gandhi said: “It is no longer about religion but money.” She said those involved in slaughtering animals may be Muslims but those selling and distributing were from different religions.

Bangladesh exports one lakh tonnes of beef without rearing or importing any cows, she said. “The entire supply of cows is trafficked through the porous borders,” the Minister observed.

Criticising the Maharashtra government’s decision to allow the slaughter of 15,000 oxen annually, Ms. Gandhi said the decision would be detrimental to the cause of animal welfare.

Lauding the Rajasthan government for having declared the camel as the State animal, Ms. Gandhi warned that tight vigilance was required to prevent the regular whisking away of camels to be slaughtered and distributed among various States and Bangladesh. She said during the recent Id festival in U.P.’s Badaun district, a large number of camels were brought from Rajasthan for sacrifice.

The Minister urged activists to work together to curb the large-scale transport of animals between States for slaughter.