Banned hormones used in animals

An investigative report on the condition of cattle in private dairies has revealed the dangers of consuming milk, besides highlighting the cruelty being inflicted on dairy animals.

Rajasthan is ranked second in the list of the top 10 milk-producing states in India. The milk production has increased by almost 25 per cent over the last 30 years. Private dairy owners supply milk to state dairy cooperatives in Rajasthan and neighbouring states like Delhi.

“Dairy owners have been indiscriminately using Oxytocin and Bovine Somatotropin (BST). Besides, dairy cattle are kept in unhealthy and unhygienic conditions,” the report from the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisation (FAPIO) claimed. FAPIO ambassador Timmie Kumar and Dr D.R. Mehta, former chairman of the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) and a trustee of FAPIO, released the report on Monday. A team of FAPIO investigators, led by Rucha Mehta, surveyed 49 dairies in the urban areas of four cities of Rajasthan.

“Rampant and indiscriminate use of banned hormones, like Oxytocin, to increase milk production was observed in almost all dairies,” Rucha Mehta said. These hormones cause adverse effect on not just these animals, but humans too who consume their milk.

According to the report, an overwhelming majority of 87 per cent of cattle in these dairies were kept in unhygienic and unhealthy conditions; they were covered in their own excreta. They were forced to stay standing on a hard concrete floor in poorly ventilated and dark enclosures.

They were also kept on a short leash and given inadequate fodder. Only 57 per cent dairy owners called for veterinary assistance, and that too, in the event of falling milk production. This, unfortunately, resulted in the animals’ lower life span. A cow normally lives around 25 years, but cows in these urban dairies hardly lived 10 years, the report said, blaming artificial insemination, separation from calves, hormone injections and no veterinary care as factors for their compromised longevity.

Subjected to this cycle of unending cruelty, the last step is to sell them to slaughter houses.

“We have always been shown images of happy cows on dairy products. But going by the facts revealed from our investigation, that image is nothing but a façade to a lifetime of abuse and exploitation, said Timmie Kumar, urging for humane treatment of cattle. Appealing to the government for immediate action, Dr Mehta called for the urgent and strict implementation of the existing laws of animal welfare and additional ones in areas that were not covered by those already in existence.