Export and smuggling of animals: 'People compelled to eat unhealthy meat'

In the backdrop of fast rising export and smuggling of healthy animals, people of Pakistan are constrained to eat beef and meat of sick animals which is causing severe diseases including tuberculosis. Pakistan Tanners Association (PTA) has pointed it out in a letter to Prime Minister, Syed Yousaf Raza Gilani, quoting a recent study of University of Veterinary and Animal Sciences, Lahore.
It was also revealed that all the healthy animals are either exported or smuggled leaving sick animals for slaughtering by the local people. Pakistan Tanners Association (PTA) Chairman Khurshid Alam, in his letter also pointed out damage to the leather industry and general public by giving a detailed comparison following government permission to export live animals.
He said meat prices shot up from rupees 260 per kilogram in 2006 to Rs 600 in 2011 while beef prices increased from Rs 120 per kilogram to Rs 300 per kg during the same period. The number of sacrifice animals also declined from 16 million in 2001 to six million in 2006 while price of an average goat and cow on the occasion of Eid increased from Rs 6,000 to Rs 25,000 and Rs 20,000 to Rs 80,000 respectively.
The export also negatively impacted the raw skins for the leather industry, as average goat and sheep skin prices increased from Rs 250 to Rs 800 and from Rs 280 to Rs 900 during the same period. Likewise, buffalo and cow skins prices moved up from Rs 500 and Rs 800 to Rs 1,500 and Rs 4,800 respectively, he added.
Alam further pointed out that because of shortage of raw skins and hides due to export and smuggling of live animals coupled with some other factors, the leather industry exports has been persistently declining for the last three years. The exports registered decline from US $1.220 billion in 2007-8 to US $0.862 billion in 2009-10.
Though the exports of 2010-11 have shown upward trend but this is mainly because of higher prices of leather in the international market, he maintained. He said that due to the exorbitantly high prices of beef and meat an average Pakistani family cannot afford to eat meat and beef as a result Pakistan was declared 'protein deficient nation by UNIDO'. The leather industry of Pakistan in general and Pakistan Tanners Association (PTA) in particular highly appreciates the decision of the people's government to put immediate ban on export of live animals from the country, he said.
He also that because of high prices, Qurbani, a religious ritual has become now dream for common man and we have snatched this happiness from our children who use to keep Qurbani animal for few days with a hope that they will get meat once a year. Pakistan Tanners Association (PTA) chairman further said it is shocking that non-availability of raw skins and hides most of the small and medium tanneries in Pakistan have closed their operations and this has left almost 200,000 people jobless.
He said they apprehend that much more will be unemployed if export and smuggling of live animals from Pakistan continues, he added. He appealed to the Prime Minister for imposing permanent ban on live animals' exports from Pakistan to save the local leather industry besides ensuring availability of protein for the people.