Thrissur: The Kerala State Meat and Cattle Merchants Association has decided to step up its protest against the central notification restricting cattle trade. The association will decide its future course of action after the Supreme Court delivers its verdict on the plea challenging the notification on Thursday. The district unit of the association held a special convention on Monday. The association leaders had handed over a memorandum to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan last week to counter the notification that had adversely affected their livelihood.
“Only aged cows are taken for slaughter and the notification restricting cattle trade will affect traders, workers and the farmers. Like in the case of chicken trade, were are ready to pay tax for the cattle brought from other states,” association state president P. Paramarajan told DC. If tax was paid at the check posts, the traders would not face issues from the police or the cow vigilantes, he said. The movement of the cattle to the state is gradually improving. At the Vaniyamkulam cattle market in Palakkad on Monday, more trucks carrying cattle were brought compared to the previous market day. On the first week of June, the number of trucks coming to Vaniyamkulam was reduced to 15 from the normal 80. On the four market days in a week, more than 20,000 cattle reach different cattle markets in Kerala. The numbers have gone down by half now, the association members said.
