The orders being issued by different state governments restricting production, sale and consumption of cattle meat — particularly beef — has generated much heat in the past few weeks. The discourse on the so-called beef ban has mostly centred around religious, political, social, legal and, to some degree, economic aspects of the move. Personal choice and liberty have also been talked about. While all these are important issues, they don’t represent the whole picture. The ecological, scientific and livelihood concerns of the beef ban are equally important. We need to examine these issues critically, given our large livestock population — a bulk of them being cows,...
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