Alappuzha: The bird flu scare has raised the demand for beef in the state and there is a boom in the illegal transport of cattle from Karnataka and TN to Kerala. The animal husbandry department has alerted all check posts on 19 routes from the two states to conduct special checks.
Mr V. Brahmanandan, director, AHD, told DC that the demand for beef would go up during Christmas and New Year season since the duck and chicken business across the state had collapsed.
Nine trucks transporting 216 cattle, including cows and buffaloes, were seized at Avinashipalayam near Coimbatore late on Tuesday night. The drivers and assistants in the vehicles were Malayalis and one truck had Kerala registration.
Mr V.K. Venkitachalam, secretary, Heritage Animal Task Force, said all the routes from the neighbouring states should be checked.
“At least 350 multi-axle national permit lorries with a capacity to carry 36 to 40 cattle travel between TN and Kerala every alternate day. From Karnataka, at least 50 such lorries bring cattle. Many of these cattle with diseases are actually smuggled in from the border areas by terrorist groups,” he said.
As per the AHD data, Kerala is one of the highest consumers of meat with its daily requirement touching 5,000 tonnes. Close to 80 per cent of the state's population is non-vegetarian.
