Karnataka's new anti-cattle slaughter law will impact beef sale in Goa: Traders

Goans may soon have to bid good-bye to their spicy beef xacuti for now, thanks to the new stringent law, the 'Karnataka Prevention of Slaughter and Preservation of Cattle Bill (2020)' passed in the Karnataka state legislative assembly, which is aimed at preventing cattle slaughter.

Meat and beef traders in the state have now expressed apprehension, that the expansion of the definition of the word 'cattle' in the new law, which now covers “cow, calf of a cow and bull, bullock, and he or she buffalo below the age of thirteen years” would lead to a massive shortage of beef in Goa.

Beef is a regularly consumed commodity in Goa, where minorities account for more than a third of the state's population. Beef is also routinely served in restaurants in the coastal fringes of the state, which are frequented by nearly eight million tourists every year.

More than 25 tons of beef is consumed in Goa every day.

“We have been doing this business for generations. This bill brought forth by the Karnataka government will bring a complete stop to our business. We will take this up with the Goa government,” Anwar Bepari says a beef seller, who operates from Panaji.

Goa Quraishi Meat Traders Association Manna Bepari believes that the impact of the new law will not just be felt adversely on people who consume beef, but also on families involved in meat trade.
“Thousands of families depend on the meat trade besides even Goa’s reputation as a tourism destination especially for foreign tourists is supported by the availability of beef,” Bepari told DH.
“The new law prohibits even the transport of cattle with a jail term. This will make it almost impossible for us to bring live cattle to Goa for slaughter. In Maharashtra, the law was already strict, but now in Karnataka the law has changed too. It will be a massive setback for us,” the association head said. Representatives of the Association are now expected to knock on the doors of Chief Minister Pramod Sawant to find the way out of the deadlock beef traders in Goa have found themselves in.
Beef trade in the state has been in the firing line over the last few years, especially with gau rakshak groups in the state targetting beef consignments brought via road from Karnataka, derailing regular availability of the red meat.