Monitor cattle fattening

With Eid-ul-Azha around the corner, the Poribesh Bachao Andolon (Poba) has recently urged the government to monitor how cattle is being reared and fattened in the farms in the country. This is a timely call on the authorities, and given the health implications of the issue, a very serious one.

The organisation in its press release noted that unscrupulous traders and businessmen use harmful chemicals and medicine to fatten animals for sale ahead of the sacrificial Eid when the demand for livestock rises. That the practice is wrong ethically and poses significant risks to those who consume the meat is beyond question. In the past, too, we have reported about this widespread problem—bypassing the recommended diet for fattening cattle and using steroids and other drugs is a crime as it puts consumers at risk of serious diseases.

Given the profit margins involved, without proper monitoring, this problem cannot be stopped. If a team is allotted to each designated area for cattle sale and the sale of the particular drugs used is monitored, the problem can be easily controlled, if not outright stopped.

Other recommendations from the organisation included ensuring that the slaughter is carried out in designated areas and that cattle markets are not set up on playgrounds, parks, roadsides, etc. Designated places for sacrifice have been set up in the last few years as well, but due to lack of monitoring and strict enforcement, we see violations every year. With time yet till the Eid, the authorities should plan ahead to tackle these issues, and ensure that the day of sacrifice is one which does not put people's health at risk, and keeps our city clean.