RAWALPINDI:

Butchers in the city have been illegally slaughtering productive cattle, including milk-giving cows and buffaloes, in violation of legal regulations.

In response, the Livestock Department and Food Authority launched a joint operation, registering three cases, imposing fines of Rs0.15 million, and seizing a large quantity of meat, which was later incinerated.

By law, animals must be brought to designated slaughterhouses, where veterinary doctors certify their health before they are slaughtered.

However, many butchers have been bypassing this process, slaughtering sick, weak, and aging animals on their shop premises. Additionally, productive cows and buffaloes, essential for milk production and breeding, are being illegally slaughtered, exacerbating the country’s dairy shortage.

During an operation in Bhabra Bazaar, officials raided the shops of butchers Muhammad Sharafat, Muhammad Daniyal Qureshi, and Muqaddas Ali Ansar, where illegal slaughtering was found.

Cases were registered at Waris Khan Police Station, and 200 kilogrammes of seized meat were destroyed at Ratta Amral Slaughterhouse.