The Bill is implied to change the Live-stock Importation Act, 1898, and the Live-stock (Amendment) Act, 2001. It frames standards for the import and export of live animals, which has actually raised issues amongst animal enthusiasts.
The Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying (DAHD), which comes under the Ministry of Fisheries, Animal Husbandry and Dairying, prepared the draft of the Live-stock and Live-stock Products (Importation and Exportation) Bill-2023 and launched it in the general public domain on June 7, looking for remarks and ideas. The department offered 10 days’ time for the general public to send their remarks. The 4-page Bill has 10 areas.
It is various from the existing law in 3 crucial elements — it permits export of live animals, it broadens the scope of animal import-export (consisting of cats and dogs amongst ‘live-stock’), and removes some powers of state federal governments to control this location.
Why does the ministry wish to bring a brand-new law?
The present law that manages import of live-stock is 125 years of ages. “The Live-stock Importation Act, 1898, being the pre-constitutional/pre-independence Central Act, a need has been felt to align it with the contemporary requirements and prevailing circumstances related to sanitary and phyto-sanitary measures, and its extant Allocation of Business Rules, 1961,” the DAHD said.
In 2001, the then NDA federal government, headed by Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee, had actually modified the 1898 law. The Vajpayee federal government initially promoted a regulation—The Live-Stock Importation (Amendment) Ordinance, 2001. Later, the regulation was changed by the Live-Stock Importation (Amendment) Bill, 2001.
One of the crucial modifications presented by the Vajpayee federal government in the law was addition of the import of animals items. The earlier law handled just the import of live-stock. According to the regulation, the “live-stock products” consisted of meat and meat items of all kinds consisting of fresh, cooled and frozen meat tissue; organs of poultry, pig, sheep, goat; egg and egg powder; milk and milk items; bovine, ovine (the sheep family) and caprine (the goat family) embryos, ova and semen; animal food of animal origin and any other animal item which might be defined by the Central Government by notice in the Official Gazette.” The 2001 change likewise empowered the Centre to “regulate, restrict or prohibit” the trade of any live-stock item that might be responsible to impact human or animal health.
What is brand-new in the proposed draft?
The Live-stock Importation Act, 1898, in force till date, has just 5 Sections: Section 1 (Short title and regional level); Section 2 (Definitions); Section 3 (Power to control importation of live-stock), Section 3A (Power to control Importation of live-stock items); Section 4 (Power of State Government to make guidelines); and Section 5 (Protection to individuals acting under Act).
The earlier law manages just importation of live-stock, while the proposed draft Bill has arrangements to control live-stock exports likewise. The Section 4 of the proposed Bill offers the federal government the power to make plans for promo and advancement of exports of live-stock and live-stock items.
The draft of the proposed Bill explains it as, “An Act to frame measures for the regulation of the importation of live-stock and live-stock products as well as promotion and development of exports of live-stock and live-stock products.”
The proposed draft of the Live-stock and Live-stock Product (importation and Exportation) Bill, 2023 has actually 10 Sections, and has broadened the meaning of live-stock to consist of feline and dogs likewise. According to the definition given in the existing law (The Live-stock Importation Act, 1898), “live-stock” includes horses, kine, camels, sheep and any other animal which may be specified by the Central Government by notification in the Official Gazette.”
However, the proposed draft Bill defines the live-stock as all equines (all live equine irrespective of purpose including donkey, horses, mule, assess, hinnies), bovines (all bovine animals including cattle, buffaloes, bullocks or any animals falling in the category of bovidae), caprines, ovines, swines, canines, felines, avian, laboratory animals, aquatic animals and any other animal which may be specified by the Central Government by notification in the Official Gazette from time to time, except those prohibited in any other act.”
Besides, the Centre has actually defined the live-stocks and live-stock products as commodity in the proposed draft Bill. ““Commodity” means live-stock, products of live-stock origin, live-stock genetic material, biological products and pathological material of live-stock origin,” says Section 2(a) of the proposed draft.
Why does the proposed draft Bill face criticism?
The proposed draft Bill has actually drawn sharp criticism from various stakeholders. Animal rights organisations have said that the draft Bill will open a “Pandora’s Box” of cruelties on animals.
“The proposed Livestock and Livestock Products [Importation and Exportation] Bill, allowing the live export of animals from India, is a blanket free pass for the abuse of millions of animals farmed for food and other uses. According to 2021 figures released by the United Nations, almost 2 billion of the 80 billion land animals raised for food around the world are exported alive to different countries,” said Bharati Ramachandran, CEO, Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO).
What has actually the ministry said now?
Facing criticism, the Centre has actually withdrawn the draft Live-stock and Live-stock Products [Importation and Exportation] Bill, 2023. The ministry provided a workplace memorandum on Tuesday, withdrawing the costs.
“However, during the consultation, it has been viewed that enough time is required to understand the proposed draft and to make further comments / suggestions. Further, the representations have been made expressing concerns on the proposed draft involving sensitivity and emotions with animal welfare and related aspects, and, hence, would need wider consultation,” the memorandum said.
“Considering the aforesaid views and with the approval of the competent authority, the proposed draft Bill stands withdrawn,” said the memorandum provided by GN Singh, Joint Secretary, Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying.
