The Government is currently in discussions with the Attorney General to draft a new Act with regard to the ban on cattle slaughter.
The ban was proposed by Prime Minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and approved by the Cabinet of Ministers in September 2020.
According to The Morning Newspaper, the ban on cattle slaughter is to be implemented within the next few months.
Secretary to the Ministry of Buddhasasana, Religious, and Cultural Affairs Prof. Kapila Gunawardana said the Ministry is currently discussing the final draft with the Attorney General.
Stating that the provisions would cover the ban of cattle slaughter for the purposes of meat, he said the import of beef would still be allowed.
Professor Gunawardana emphasized that a ban has been imposed on the slaughter of cattle to mainly solve the problems of dairy farmers.
He pointed out that currently, people who slaughter cattle for meat, slaughter female cows and calves as well, which in turn results in economic losses to dairy farmers.
When The morning newspaper inquired as to how the problem of ageing cows would be solved, Prof. Gunawardana said that there are plans to export the ageing cows overseas.(NewsWire)