Wednesday, 18 March 2015 12:59

What’s the beef?

Written by 
Cows are sacred in India. Cows are sacred in India.

Eating beef in the Indian state of Maharashtra now gives diners something extra to chew on – arrest, jail and a fine.

 Indian President Pranab Mukherjee has ratified the Maharashtra Animal Preservation (Amendment) Bill passed in 1995, that calls for anyone selling or eating beef to be jailed for five years and fined 10,000 rupees (NZ$214).

The state banned cow slaughter in 1976 and The Times of India reports the new law expands the ban to include calves and bulls.

Now, only the consumption of water buffalo meat is allowed.

Hindus oppose the slaughter of cows on religious grounds.

“Our dream of a ban on cow slaughter becomes reality now,” Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis said in a tweet.

Maharashtra in western India has a population of 110 million and is the third largest state by area. The state capital of Mumbai has a population of 18 million and is the country’s financial capital. 

Beef traders say the consumption ban will costs thousands of jobs in a country that is the second biggest exporter of beef after Brazil.

Under the law those charged with offences will be held without bail.

More like this

Red line on dairy

OPINION: As India negotiates to open its borders to more global products, dairy is proving a sticky issue.

Co-op boosts chilled exports to China

Alliance Group has secured greater access for chilled beef exports to China, following approval for two of its processing plants to supply the market.

Editorial: Elusive India FTA

OPINION: Without doubt, a priority of the Government this year will be to gain traction on the elusive free trade deal with India.

Hort exporters eye Indian market

Exporters need to understand that India should not be seen as just one country to export to, rather a country of many unique states and regions.

Featured

Fencing excellence celebrated

The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards, providing the opportunity to honour both rising talent and industry stalwarts.

B+LNZ launches AI assistant for farmers

Beef + Lamb New Zealand has launched an AI-powered digital assistant to help farmers using the B+LNZ Knowledge Hub to create tailored answers and resources for their farming businesses.

National

Machinery & Products

Tech might take time

Agritech Unleashed – a one-day event held recently at Mystery Creek, near Hamilton – focused on technology as an ‘enabler’…

John Deere acquires GUSS Automation

John Deere has announced the full acquisition of GUSS Automation, LLC, a globally recognised leader in supervised high-value crop autonomy,…

Fencing excellence celebrated

The Fencing Contractors Association of New Zealand (FCANZ) celebrated the best of the best at the 2025 Fencing Industry Awards,…

» Latest Print Issues Online

The Hound

A step too far

OPINION: For years, the ironically named Dr Mike Joy has used his position at Victoria University to wage an activist-style…

Save us from SAFE

OPINION: A mate of yours truly has had an absolute gutsful of the activist group SAFE.

» Connect with Rural News

» eNewsletter

Subscribe to our weekly newsletter