By Udbhav Bhargava
On 3 July 2020, the government of Nagaland decided to outlaw the
1. Commercial import and dog trade
2. Market pertaining to dog meat and associated products
3. Animal meat sale (both cooked and uncooked)
Animal activist campaign
Over the years, animal-rights groups have complained against the selling and consumption of dog meat. Maneka Gandhi had made an appeal on June 30 through ‘People For Animals’ (the animal welfare organization she founded) highlighting the “unabated” killing and eating of dogs in Nagaland. Appeals were received, in form of emails and tweets in thousands, by the Nagaland Govt. Humane Society International and People for Animals, two NGOs that have long campaigned to end dog meat trade, particularly in Nagaland, welcomed the decision as a significant seminal moment in ending India’s illegal dog meat trade.
The Rule
The firm cited Food Health & Quality Regulation 2.5 (Food Products Requirements and Food Additives) Regulation 2011, FSSAI, which lists meat and meat products that are appropriate for consumption. The cabinet concluded that dog meat is not on the register, and therefore, considered unfit for human consumption.
Possible consequences on mainstream culture
- Nagaland is a strong producer of meat products, and one of the delicacies of dog meat.
- There are several hotels that serve dog meat, especially in the state capital Kohima and the commercial hub, Dimapur.
- Only dogs are imported from outside the state as dog meat is perceived as having high medicinal value and high nutritional value.
A legal mind may question the constitutional validity of this practice, where just on the basis of species, a dog is considered an edible meat. Article 371A grants Nagaland a special right to allow Naga communities to follow and maintain their customary law and social practice. Arguments against meat ban Culture and social mores of every region are different. Beef is consumed in many parts of the country while cow slaughter is considered to be against the religious/cultural practice in most parts of India. Prevention of cow slaughter is a part of the Directive Principles of State Policy, i.e. Part-IV of the Indian Constitution, which means the state endeavors to eradicate cow slaughter. Pork (Pig meat) is an acceptable food item in some religions while taboo in some religions. At present different laws are applicable to matters relating to cow slaughter. Out of 29 Indian states, while 20 states prohibit cow slaughter, beef is legally and freely available in states like Bengal, Kerala, Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Mizoram, Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Tripura.
Author’s opinion
In the conflict between the slaughter of animals and its prevention, where the former, the ‘right to eat anything’ is backed by ‘right to life and personal liberty’ under Article 21, the only question that remains unanswered is, why is one species of animal considered to be ‘meat’ and other as ‘companion’?
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