Thiruvananthapuram: Beef traders in Kerala today met Chief Minister Oommen Chandy seeking the government's intervention on the issue relating to attacks on vehicles transporting cattle from neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu and Karnataka to Kerala.
Slaughter houses and meat shops selling beef are on an indefinite shutdown protesting against the attack on vehicles bringing cattle to the state.
The traders said they were suffering from huge losses due to such activities. Since the past one year at least 115 loads of cattle have been attacked, they said.
The traders associations met Chandy, Industries Minister PK Kunhalikutty and Home Minister Ramesh Chennithala and got assurance that their problems will be sorted out.
Trade association members said the DGP has taken up the matter with his counterpart in Tamil Nadu. Media reports have stated that Hindu Makkal Kakshi and Hanuman Sena in the name of cow slaughtering ban have been blocking transportation of cattle to the state alleging that the Animal Welfare Board guidelines were not being followed.
The cattle being transported from Tamil Nadu and Karnataka are being stopped at the border and cows were shifted to sheds, the traders said. During the past few days, there has been an acute shortage of beef in the state and many beef stalls have been shutdown following this.
Keralites consume beef worth about Rs 26 crore per day as per the figures of the Animal Husbandry Department in the state.
The total meat consumption in Kerala during 2014-15 was 6,15,359 tonnes. Due to the present shortage, the beef price has shot up to Rs 250 per kg. Kerala depends on the neighbouring states of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh to meet its demand.
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