Animal Market Regulations: Some Immediate Concerns
D Dhanuraj and Rahul V Kumar* India is predominantly an agrarian economy with a large section of its population depending on the sector for their livelihood. Cattle form a vital part of agriculture and allied activities. Various estimates suggest that India has a large bovine population with approximately 303 million cattle and water buffaloes alone. More than 60 million small and marginal farmers own a major part of these animals, which directly aid agriculture and form an essential part of the dairy and meat industry. The meat producing industry depends mostly on the unorganised sector for sourcing the products. This unorganised sector includes animal markets as well as slaughter houses. Estimates put the number of slaughter houses in the unorganised sector in India at 25000. The meat industry in India is estimated at approximately $15000 million. Various departments under the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Commerce regulate the functioning of these markets. It i...