India: Cattle slaughter ban hits industry and minorities

APD NEWS

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By APD writer Rishika Chauhan

**MANILA, June 17(APD) – **The ban on cattle slaughter imposed by the central government is particularly affecting the minority groups across India, according to a recently published Hindustan Times report.

Many workers, especially in Uttar Pradesh and surrounding areas who worked in slaughterhouses have lost their jobs. The workers often belonged to the religious minority of Muslims and lower castes among Hindus.

According to Abdul Faheem Qureshi, a representative of India’s Muslim Qureshi community of butchers, the markets, which were trading 1,000 animals in Uttar Pradesh till last year, were now merely trading 100 animals.

The ban is not limited to cows, but includes buffaloes, which are used for meat and leather. India is among the world’s top five producers of leather. However, the ban is believed to affect leather production in India, which is said to garner revenues worth $27 billion.

International brands like Zara and Clarks that use leather extensively in their products are believed to have their manufacturing units in India.

While Clarks has clarified through a statement that during manufacturing in India they import leather and do not use leather from Indian origin cows, Zara has not issued any statement yet.

However, a number of leather manufacturers also support Uttar Pradesh state government’s move to close down illegal slaughterhouses, as they believe that by allowing only licensed slaughterhouses to operate, the industry would get a better reputation and a clean image.

(ASIA PACIFIC DAILY)