Demand for buffalo meat from Gulf led to rise of illegal slaughterhouses in UP

There are 32 government approved abattoirs in UP. The promise of halal meat has led to a huge demand from the Gulf.

There are protests in Uttar Pradesh by meat sellers against a government order that ordered the closure of illegal slaughterhouses in the state. In the country there are 72 government-approved slaughterhouses, of which, 32 are in Uttar Pradesh.

Out of the 32, there are four government-run abattoirs of which only the units in Agra and Saharanpur are functional. The remaining two at Lucknow and Bareilly are in the process of being set up.

The big fight is about the closure of the slaughterhouses as per the orders of the Adityanath Yogi government. Statistics available with the UP Pollution Control Board show that there are just 32 government approved abattoirs in the state.

There is no official figure on the number of illegal slaughterhouses in UP. Across the state, the number could be anything between 150 to 200. The government has repeatedly made it clear that action is being taken only against the illegal abattoirs. This means the 32 government-run abattoirs ones can function.

However, the problem that is being cited is that of shortage. UP alone can manage with the 32 legal slaughterhouses. However, the real problem for these meat sellers running illegal units is the high demand from the Gulf nations.

Why are illegal abattoirs thriving?

There is a high demand from the Gulf nations for the buffalo meat from India. One is the low-cost meat, and the sellers in UP have assured of providing halal meat which is mandatory in the Gulf. Due to this, the legal slaughterhouses are unable to cater to the needs of the Gulf and this has led to the illegal ones thriving.

Meat exports account for Rs 26,685 crore annually in UP. The closure of these illegal slaughterhouses causes a loss of RS 11,350 crore. The meat that is being exported both from legal and illegal abattoirs is 5,65,958.20 metric tonnes.

OneIndia News