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Wednesday, 30 September 2020 00:15 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}
Cabinet has approved amending laws to implement the controversial ban on cattle slaughter and introducing other measures including a “suitable program” for aging cattle.
Cabinet Co-Spokesman Keheliya Rambukwella told reporters yesterday that a Cabinet paper presented by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa had been approved. The Cabinet paper claimed that cattle slaughter was undermining the dairy and agricultural industries, but failed to back this up with any data.
“As a country with an economy based on agriculture, the contribution of cattle resources to develop the livelihood of the rural people of Sri Lanka is immense. Various parties have pointed out that the livestock resources that are required for traditional farming purposes is insufficient, due to the rise of cattle slaughter, and the insufficiency of livestock resources is an obstacle to development of the local dairy industry, which supports the livelihood development of rural people while reducing foreign exchange spent on imported milk powder,” the hand-out by the Government Information Department said.
Taking this situation into consideration, the Cabinet of Ministers granted approval to implement three proposals tabled by Prime Minister Rajapaksa, Rambukwella said. These include taking immediate action to amend the Animal Act No. 29 of 1958, the Cattle Slaughter Ordinance No. 09 of 1893, and other related laws and regulations passed by local authorities regarding cattle slaughter, which are currently in force around the country.
The other proposals submitted were taking immediate necessary actions to import the required meat and provide it at a concessionary price for the people who consume beef, as well as implementing a suitable program for ageing cattle which cannot be used effectively for agricultural purposes. The paper proposed banning of cattle slaughter of the country with immediate effect subject to taking such measures.
