Beef scarcity looms in Goa as shopkeepers close shop following conflict with cow vigilantes.

News Mania Desk / Piyal Chatterjee/ 24th December 2024

Goa could face a beef shortage after traders went on a strike Monday to protest against “harassment”, following a recent altercation with members allegedly affiliated with a cow protection group in South Goa’s Margao during which three meat vendors were injured. Vendors said the beef supply is unlikely to resume on Tuesday due to “safety concerns”.

The vendors at the South Goa Planning and Development Authority (SGPDA) market complex in Margao downed their shutters on Monday, urging the government to “rein in vigilante groups” and provide police protection for vehicles transporting beef from the Goa Meat Complex to other parts of the state.

Manna Bepari, president of the All Goa Beef Vendors Association, told the media, “It is unfortunate that these vigilantes are harassing vendors while animals are transported for slaughter at the abattoir. Some vehicle drivers from Belagavi are now reluctant to bring beef here due to the recent incident.”

Tensions rose in the SGPDA market last Wednesday as beef vendors clashed with members of a cow protection group, who allegedly blocked a van unloading beef and claimed “illegalities” in the meat trade and supply chain.The dispute turned into a brawl, in which three merchants and two members of the cow protection organization allegedly suffered injuries. Following the event, Fatorda police station lodged cross-FIRs.

Goa Chief Minister Pramod Sawant has cautioned that anyone who “take the law into their own hands” will face consequences.“The government believes that Goans should get good and hygienic beef. This is the reason why we have insisted that meat traders procure their beef requirements from the Goa Meat Complex. This is being done so consumers get hygienic meat. But, if there is any interference from anyone, the government will take strict action. No one has the right to take the law into their own hands. Our priority remains the provision of hygienic beef to Goans,” Sawant told the media on Monday.