Decision to shut down dairy farms in Lakshadweep stayed

HC also stays administration’s decision to remove meat from midday meal menu

A Division Bench of the Kerala High Court on Tuesday stayed the Lakshadweep administration’s decision to close down dairy farms run by its Animal Husbandry Department and remove meat from the menu of the midday meal scheme of schools on the islands. The Bench led by Chief Justice S.Manikumar passed the stay order on a writ petition filed by Ajmal Ahmed of Kavarathi island challenging the Animal Husbandry Department’s order and the decision of the district task force to drop non-vegetarian items from the menu of the midday meal scheme of schools. The petitioner contended that the decision to close down the dairy farms was taken as part of the administration’s efforts to implement the proposed Animal Preservation (Regulation), 2021 which bans slaughter of cow, calves, and bulls, etc., and also the sale and purchase of beef and beef products. The closure of dairy farms would curtail the source of milk products and compel islanders to purchase the same imported from Gujarat. The Administrator was adopting measures to destroy the well-maintained dairy farms and other infrastructure established on the islands for promoting them.