Government committee has recommended unique identification numbers for cows as one way to prevent their trafficking, according to documents filed by the central government with the Supreme Court.
About the recommendation
- Unique ID will contain details of the cattle’s age, breed, sex, height, body colour, horn type, tail switch and special marks, according to the panel set up by the home ministry.
- In the case of milch cattle, it will also have the lactation profile.
- This ID will take the form of a polyurethane tag.
- Registration proof must be maintained by the owner of the cattle which may be transferred to the next owner in case a legitimate sale/transfer takes place.
- The panel also recommended maintaining state- and national-level registries of cattle and prohibiting livestock markets within a 20km radius of the international border with Bangladesh.
- It is an attempt to increase the productivity of the country’s dairy industry also helps to curb cattle smugling.
Background
Committee was set up in response to a 2015 public interest litigation seeking the apex court’s intervention on smuggling of cows to Bangladesh from the border states.
Source : Live Mint
GS III : Important aspects of governance, transparency and accountability