What is Livestock Export?
The trade of live animals, such as cattle, sheep, goats, pigs, or poultry, from one nation to another is referred to as livestock export. This trade entails transporting animals across national boundaries for a variety of purposes such as breeding, husbandry, killing, or display.
Livestock exports can serve a variety of reasons, including supplying the need for meat or breeding stock in importing nations, assisting livestock businesses, and promoting genetic diversity.
What is Livestock Bill 2023?
On June 7, the draft livestock bill was posted on the animal husbandry and dairying ministry's website for public comment.
The primary objective of the draft bill is to establish comprehensive regulations governing the importation of live-stock and live-stock products, while simultaneously promoting and fostering the growth of livestock and live-stock product exports.
The Live-stock and Live-stock Products [Importation and Exportation] Bill, 2023, is currently under consideration as a proposed legislation aimed at governing the export of live animals from India. If passed in the upcoming months, this bill would authorize Indian farmers and traders to engage in the commercial export of live animals, subject to the specified regulations and guidelines.
Dogs, Birds, and Cats are also included in the category of livestock. Where they could be exported to a different country for meat and other purposes. Live animal export is extremely horrific
Opposition to Livestock Bill 2023
Animal, Climate, and Health Save India, an animal rights organization, is encouraging government authorities to rethink the bill's passage. Their request is based on a number of factors that highlight the possible ramifications and repercussions of the proposed law.
• Live animal transportation is an incredibly brutal practice, as it forces animals to travel extensive distances while being cramped and deprived of space to breathe, stretch, or move about. These poor creatures are forced to endure filth and confinement for days on end, with no chance of escape or respite, leading to widespread illness and occasional loss of life. In a nutshell, the animals suffer greatly, caught between a rock and a hard place.
• Legalizing live animal import and export runs counter to our country's roots, which promote Ahimsa - nonviolence - towards all living beings. Compassion is also preached in all of India's main faiths.
• Not only is animal agriculture a major contributor to global warming but live animal export also contributes significantly to greenhouse gas emissions. The bill's passage would contribute to India's significant delay in achieving the Sustainable Development Goals.
• Public health is put at risk when people consume food made from animals or animal products that have been transported in appalling circumstances. COVID-19 is evidence that severe zoonotic illnesses can spread readily from animals to humans and paralyze the entire world.
• The measure is alleged to encourage animal cruelty by increasing the export and import of live animals. Because of this, the hashtag '#SayNoToLiveStockBill2023' has been trending on Twitter for the previous few days.
• It is feared that India's livestock population may decline as a result of Bill's first-ever authorization of the export of live cattle, which is intended to advance animal husbandry.
• Due to the brief window for filing concerns and suggestions, this measure has even concerned the cow vigilantes. The addition of dogs and cats to the category of livestock is something that activists are against.
History of Livestock Export in India
Every year from India lakhs of live animals are exported to Vietnam and UAE. The animals that don't die of infection, exhaustion, or hunger are slaughtered according to those countries' customs. A few years back around Eid protesters from the Jain community got this live export banned.But not only did this export start again, but the 125-year-old British law that regulated imports of animals would now also regulate the export of animals. Live export is so cruel that even a meat-consuming nation like New Zealand where animals are consumed like potatoes in India has banned live export.
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