By Kalinga Seneviratne
https://www.indepthnews.net/index.php/the-world/asia-pacific/3907-sri-lanka-bans-cow-slaughte-but-has-yet-to-pass-animal-welfare-bill
This
article is the 44th in a series of joint productions of Lotus News Features and
IDN-InDepthNews, flagship agency of the Non-profit International Press
Syndicate. Click here for previous reports.
SINGAPORE (IDN) – The Sri Lankan government will be amending the
Animals Act (1958) after the Cabinet approved a proposal by Prime Minister
Mahinda Rajapaksa to ban the slaughter of cattle in this predominantly
Buddhist country. However, animal rights activists point out that there
are no animal welfare laws in the country, and an attempt to enact an Animal
Welfare Bill in Parliament has been blocked since 2006.
After the Cabinet approved the proposal on September 28th the
Government released a statement presenting it as a rural economic self-reliance
measure.
As a country with an economy based on agriculture, the
contribution of the cattle resource to develop the livelihood of the rural
people of Sri Lanka is immense,” the government said in a statement. Various
parties have pointed out that the livestock resources that are required for
traditional farming purposes is insufficient due to the rise of cattle
slaughter and the insufficiency of livestock resources is an obstacle to uplift
the local dairy industry”.
The statement further said that this decision would help to
uplift the rural economy by developing a dairy industry, as well as saving
a substantial amount of foreign exchange, that is now spent on importing
milk and milk powder. Immediate steps are to be taken to amend the Animals Act
of 1958 and the Butchers Ordinance of 1893.
The ban on cattle slaughter is part of the tradition of Dharmic
religions” argues animal rights activist and lawyer Senaka Weeraratna. Once
these countries became colonies the ban was lifted and all three European
powers Portuguese, Dutch and British freely encouraged the locals to flout
tradition and Buddhist precepts by eating meat and drinking alcohol”.
When going to temple, Buddhists always recite the Pancha Sila
(five precepts) that includes refraining from killing animals and taking
alcohol. But, a sizable number of people on the island are strong
meat-eaters and consume alcohol. Yet, in the past decade, beef-eating has
decreased by over 25 per cent.
Love and compassion for animals is growing in Sri Lanka and is
a good sign of the advancement of culture and civilization. But we must
not be complacent” says Weeraratna. This is the first time that the Government
of Sri Lanka had ever withdrawn state sponsorship of a slaughter industry in
Sri Lanka at the request of the Buddhist public,” he told Lotus News.
But, critics, who promote multiculturalism, argue the government
is trying to reinforce the Buddhist identity of the country, ignoring the
rights of other religious minorities.
Pointing out that it’s mainly non-Muslims (Buddhists) who sell
cows to slaughterhouses, ZamZam Foundation’s Moulavi Amhar Hakam Deen
told Daily Mirror, that it is by selling cattle that these non-Muslims earn an
income. Hence, they will be badly affected if the ban comes into play. We
donʼt consider this an alarming threat and injustice to the Muslim community as
it is non-Muslims who are involved in the farming industry, while Muslims have
been aimed as beef consumers. We wonʼt incur any losses from this because we can
shift to mutton if the ban comes into effect,” he added.
To offset criticism that the cattle slaughter ban is directed at
the Muslim minority (who make up about 10 per cent of the Sri Lankan
population), who are significant beef eaters and dominate the beef industry in
the country, the government has said that the import of beef will be increased
and subsidised.
Venerable Omalpe Sobitha Mahathera, a long time campaigner for a
ban on cattle slaughter, who runs a large orphanage for rescued cattle, argues that
there is no need to import beef either, because, even if cattle are slaughtered
elsewhere in the world, it is a sin. Nobody dies sans beef. Therefore it is
pertinent that the government also bans the import of beef” he argues in a
recent media interview.
Sobitha Mahathera, who has saved hundreds of cattle from
slaughter and given them to families – both Buddhist and Hindu – to use them to
get milk for their families with an undertaking that they will not sell the cow
to slaughterhouses, argues that the government should promote cow milk from
local cows to discourage the importation of milk powder. He insisted the
government should stop importing milk powder and instead provide much-needed
facilities to upgrade the local dairy industry. The Mahathera said the ban
would produce results from both an economic and health perspective, and
therefore it was important that the government implement the move despite any
obstacles to it.
Sri Lanka’s animal-friendly cultural heritage really began over
2300 years ago, when Arahant Mahinda (the son of emperor Ashoka) stopped the
Sinhala King Devanampiyatissa at Mihintale, while he was on a regular hunting
trip. He preached to him the Buddha’s message of compassion for all living
beings. After the King embraced Buddhism, historical records tell that King
Devanampiyatissa created the very first animal sanctuary in the world and
outlawed hunting.
In spite of the long history of such an admirable animal
friendly cultural heritage, in contemporary Sri Lankan society regular media
reports expose cases of immense cruelty to animals. These include animals
clubbed to death for food; livestock farms in appalling conditions; Zoo animals
kept caged for human entertainment; stray cats and dogs being poisoned, and
captive elephants (often in temples) severely bruised due to heavy chaining.
However social critic Ms. Shenali Waduge believes that the
cattle slaughter ban is a diversionary tactic by the government, which is not
committed to enacting an animal welfare act. If all the (senior) monks are
united, this can be done,” she told Lotus News. But, they are not united, and
they can be bought over, except for a few”. While the older ones are
beyond repair” the younger ones could be tapped to spearhead this campaign, she
notes.
While many countries now recognise animals as sentient beings
(which is at the very root of Buddhist teachings) with a Right to Life” by law
and even constitutional status, sadly Sri Lanka lags way behind. Interestingly,
rather than in Buddhist countries, such laws have been enacted in recent years
in predominantly Christian majority countries, such as New Zealand, Australia
and some European Union (EU) member nations.
EU’s Welfare of Farm Animals Act, while not banning the
slaughter of animals, imposes minimum standards in respect to the welfare of
animals in farming, transport and killing. In Australia’s New South Wales
state’s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act was enacted way back in
1979. New Zealand’s Animal Welfare Act 1999 recognizes animals as sentient”
and it is a comprehensive bill with stiff penalties for violators.
The Law Commission of Sri Lanka, after extensive consultations
with the public and examination of laws of other jurisdictions, had prepared an
Animal Welfare Bill and handed it over to the then President Mahinda Rajapakse
in May 2006. As there was no sign of enactment of this Bill in Parliament,
Venerable Athureliya Rathana, M.P. tabled in Parliament a draft Animal Welfare
Bill, (almost the Law Commission drawn Bill with a few changes) in February
2009. The Parliament was dissolved at the end of the year and the Animal
Welfare Bill never progressed for a Second Reading.
Senaka Weeraratna, who was the Legal Consultant to the Law
Commission in respect to preparation of the Animal Welfare Bill, says that 14
years after it was released there is no light at the end of the tunnel for this
Bill. We hope that with the banning of cattle slaughter the next logical step
in the continuum would take place shortly. This Bill has to be re-introduced in
Parliament in 2020 for enactment without further delay” he adds.
The welfare of animals is still governed by the archaic
Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance, No. 13 of 1907, which was enacted
during the British colonial era. Its maximum punishment is a mere Rs. 100 (less
than $1) for a heinous crime committed on an animal. It is a shame to think
that with such low penalties captive and domestic animals can be effectively
protected from harm” argues Weeraratna.
Weeraratna says that the cattle slaughter ban and the enactment
of the Animal Welfare Bill will set a standard for other Asian (Buddhist)
countries to follow suit. ”It is also a test of our national commitment, and
compassion to other sentient beings,” argues Weeraratna. [IDN-InDepthNews – 10
October 2020]
Photo: Collage of pictures of Prime Minister Rajapaksa and
cattle. Source: Sri Lanka Newswire.
IDN is the flagship agency of the Non-profit International Press
Syndicate.
Courtesy: Lotus News Features and IDN-InDepthNews
