{"id":107482,"date":"2020-10-11T17:31:05","date_gmt":"2020-10-12T00:31:05","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/?p=107482"},"modified":"2020-10-11T17:31:26","modified_gmt":"2020-10-12T00:31:26","slug":"sri-lanka-bans-cattle-slaughter-but-has-yet-to-enact-animal-welfare-bill","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/2020\/10\/11\/sri-lanka-bans-cattle-slaughter-but-has-yet-to-enact-animal-welfare-bill\/","title":{"rendered":"Sri Lanka Bans Cattle Slaughter, but has yet to enact Animal Welfare Bill"},"content":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Kalinga Seneviratne\u00a0\u00a0<\/em><\/span><\/h2>\n\n\n

https:\/\/www.indepthnews.net\/index.php\/the-world\/asia-pacific\/3907-sri-lanka-bans-cow-slaughte-but-has-yet-to-pass-animal-welfare-bill<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

This\narticle is the 44th in a series of joint productions of Lotus News Features and\nIDN-InDepthNews, flagship agency of the Non-profit International Press\nSyndicate. Click here for previous reports.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

SINGAPORE (IDN) \u2013 The Sri Lankan government will be amending the\nAnimals Act (1958) after the Cabinet approved a proposal by Prime Minister\nMahinda Rajapaksa to ban the slaughter of cattle  in this predominantly\nBuddhist country.  However, animal rights activists point out that there\nare no animal welfare laws in the country, and an attempt to enact an Animal\nWelfare Bill in Parliament has been blocked since 2006.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After the Cabinet approved the proposal on September 28th the\nGovernment released a statement presenting it as a rural economic self-reliance\nmeasure.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As a country with an economy based on agriculture, the\ncontribution of the cattle resource to develop the livelihood of the rural\npeople of Sri Lanka is immense,\u201d the government said in a statement. Various\nparties have pointed out that the livestock resources that are required for\ntraditional farming purposes is insufficient due to the rise of cattle\nslaughter and the insufficiency of livestock resources is an obstacle to uplift\nthe local dairy industry\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The statement further said that this decision would help to\nuplift the rural economy by developing a dairy industry, as well as saving\na  substantial amount of foreign exchange, that is now spent on importing\nmilk and milk powder. Immediate steps are to be taken to amend the Animals Act\nof 1958 and the Butchers Ordinance of 1893.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The ban on cattle slaughter is part of the tradition of Dharmic\nreligions\u201d argues animal rights activist and lawyer Senaka Weeraratna. Once\nthese countries became colonies the ban was lifted and all three European\npowers Portuguese, Dutch and British freely encouraged the locals to flout\ntradition and Buddhist precepts by eating meat and drinking alcohol\u201d.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When going to temple, Buddhists always recite the Pancha Sila\n(five precepts) that includes refraining from killing animals and taking\nalcohol. But, a sizable number of people on the island are strong\nmeat-eaters and consume alcohol. Yet, in the past decade, beef-eating has\ndecreased by over 25 per cent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Love and compassion for animals is growing in Sri Lanka and is\na good sign of the advancement of culture and civilization.  But we must\nnot be complacent\u201d says Weeraratna. This is the first time that the Government\nof Sri Lanka had ever withdrawn state sponsorship of a slaughter industry in\nSri Lanka at the request of the Buddhist public,\u201d he told Lotus News.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But, critics, who promote multiculturalism, argue the government\nis trying to reinforce the Buddhist identity of the country, ignoring the\nrights of other religious minorities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Pointing out that it’s mainly non-Muslims (Buddhists) who sell\ncows to slaughterhouses, ZamZam Foundation\u2019s  Moulavi Amhar Hakam Deen\ntold Daily Mirror, that it is by selling cattle that these non-Muslims earn an\nincome. Hence, they will be badly affected if the ban comes into play. We\ndon\u02bct consider this an alarming threat and injustice to the Muslim community as\nit is non-Muslims who are involved in the farming industry, while Muslims have\nbeen aimed as beef consumers. We won\u02bct incur any losses from this because we can\nshift to mutton if the ban comes into effect,\u201d he added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

To offset criticism that the cattle slaughter ban is directed at\nthe Muslim minority (who make up about 10 per cent of the Sri Lankan\npopulation), who are significant beef eaters and dominate the beef industry in\nthe country, the government has said that the import of beef will be increased\nand subsidised.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Venerable Omalpe Sobitha Mahathera, a long time campaigner for a\nban on cattle slaughter, who runs a large orphanage for rescued cattle, argues that\nthere is no need to import beef either, because, even if cattle are slaughtered\nelsewhere in the world, it is a sin. Nobody dies sans beef. Therefore it is\npertinent that the government also bans the import of beef\u201d he argues in a\nrecent media interview.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sobitha Mahathera, who has saved hundreds of cattle from\nslaughter and given them to families \u2013 both Buddhist and Hindu \u2013 to use them to\nget milk for their families with an undertaking that they will not sell the cow\nto slaughterhouses, argues that the government should promote cow milk from\nlocal cows to discourage the importation of milk powder. He insisted the\ngovernment should stop importing milk powder and instead provide much-needed\nfacilities to upgrade the local dairy industry. The Mahathera said the ban\nwould produce results from both an economic and health perspective, and\ntherefore it was important that the government implement the move despite any\nobstacles to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sri Lanka\u2019s animal-friendly cultural heritage really began over\n2300 years ago, when Arahant Mahinda (the son of emperor Ashoka) stopped the\nSinhala King Devanampiyatissa at Mihintale, while he was on a regular hunting\ntrip. He preached to him the Buddha\u2019s message of compassion for all living\nbeings. After the King embraced Buddhism, historical records tell that King\nDevanampiyatissa created the very first animal sanctuary in the world and\noutlawed hunting.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In spite of the long history of such an admirable animal\nfriendly cultural heritage, in contemporary Sri Lankan society regular media\nreports expose cases of immense cruelty to animals. These include animals\nclubbed to death for food; livestock farms in appalling conditions; Zoo animals\nkept caged for human entertainment; stray cats and dogs being poisoned, and\ncaptive elephants (often in temples) severely bruised due to heavy chaining.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However social critic Ms. Shenali Waduge believes that the\ncattle slaughter ban is a diversionary tactic by the government, which is not\ncommitted to enacting an animal welfare act. If all the (senior) monks are\nunited, this can be done,\u201d she told Lotus News. But, they are not united, and\nthey can be bought over, except for a few\u201d.  While the older ones are\nbeyond repair\u201d the younger ones could be tapped to spearhead this campaign, she\nnotes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

While many countries now recognise animals as sentient beings\n(which is at the very root of Buddhist teachings) with a Right to Life\u201d by law\nand even constitutional status, sadly Sri Lanka lags way behind. Interestingly,\nrather than in Buddhist countries, such laws have been enacted in recent years\nin predominantly Christian majority countries, such as New Zealand, Australia\nand some European Union (EU) member nations.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

EU\u2019s Welfare of Farm Animals Act, while not banning the\nslaughter of animals, imposes minimum standards in respect to the welfare of\nanimals in farming, transport and killing. In Australia\u2019s New South Wales\nstate\u2019s Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act was enacted way back in\n1979.  New Zealand\u2019s Animal Welfare Act 1999 recognizes animals as sentient\u201d\nand it is a comprehensive bill with stiff penalties for violators.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Law Commission of Sri Lanka, after extensive consultations\nwith the public and examination of laws of other jurisdictions, had prepared an\nAnimal Welfare Bill and handed it over to the then President Mahinda Rajapakse\nin May 2006. As there was no sign of enactment of this Bill in Parliament,\nVenerable Athureliya Rathana, M.P. tabled in Parliament a draft Animal Welfare\nBill, (almost the Law Commission drawn Bill with a few changes) in February\n2009. The Parliament was dissolved at the end of the year and the Animal\nWelfare Bill never progressed for a Second Reading. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Senaka Weeraratna, who was the Legal Consultant to the Law\nCommission in respect to preparation of the Animal Welfare Bill, says that 14\nyears after it was released there is no light at the end of the tunnel for this\nBill. We hope that with the banning of cattle slaughter the next logical step\nin the continuum would take place shortly. This Bill has to be re-introduced in\nParliament in 2020 for enactment without further delay\u201d he adds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The welfare of animals is still governed by the archaic\nPrevention of Cruelty to Animals Ordinance, No. 13 of 1907, which was enacted\nduring the British colonial era. Its maximum punishment is a mere Rs. 100 (less\nthan $1) for a heinous crime committed on an animal. It is a shame to think\nthat with such low penalties captive and domestic animals can be effectively\nprotected from harm\u201d argues Weeraratna.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Weeraratna says that the cattle slaughter ban and the enactment\nof the Animal Welfare Bill will set a standard for other Asian (Buddhist)\ncountries to follow suit. \u201dIt is also a test of our national commitment, and\ncompassion to other sentient beings,\u201d argues Weeraratna. [IDN-InDepthNews \u2013 10\nOctober 2020]<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Photo: Collage of pictures of Prime Minister Rajapaksa and\ncattle. Source: Sri Lanka Newswire.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

IDN is the flagship agency of the Non-profit International Press\nSyndicate<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Courtesy:  Lotus News Features and IDN-InDepthNews <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

By\u00a0Kalinga Seneviratne\u00a0\u00a0 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) \u2013 The Sri Lankan government will be amending the Animals Act (1958) after the Cabinet approved a proposal by Prime […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":true,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-107482","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-politics"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107482","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=107482"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/107482\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=107482"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=107482"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.lankaweb.com\/news\/items\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=107482"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}