Draft Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Animal Markets Rules , 2018
The Union environment ministry has brought out these draft rules and and has completely done away with the clause that banned both, the buyer and the seller, from trading cattle for slaughter.
The Centre has rolled back last year’s controversial decision banning the sale of cattle, including buffaloes, for slaughter. The environment ministry has now brought out the Draft Prevention of Cruelty to Animals in Animal Markets Rules, 2018, and has completely done away with the clause that banned both, the buyer and the seller, from trading cattle for slaughter. The draft regulation has also omitted the lengthy procedure from the 2017 Rules that required the seller to attest that the cattle were not being sold for slaughter. It has also omitted a section that defined what constitutes cattle. The proposed norms mandate the formation of a committee to prevent cruelty in animal markets in each district, replacing the earlier district animal market monitoring committee. They will comprise the district magistrate, one representative of state animal welfare board, superintendent of police of the district, one representative of a local non-governmental organization, one member of the society for the prevention of cruelty to animals, district veterinary officer, representatives from zilla parishad and chairman of the municipality.
