Poultry Federation urges national meat-sale calendar amid Maharashtra meat-ban row

The Poultry Federation of India (PFI) has formally written to Union Minister SP Singh Baghel, advocating for the creation of a nationwide meat-sale calendar modeled on existing dry-day date charts to prevent sudden bans during religious occasions and public holidays.

The move comes amid widespread backlash over municipal orders in Maharashtra, particularly ahead of Independence Day, that forced meat shops and slaughterhouses to shut without warning.

In its letter, the PFI highlighted the difficulty businesses face in planning operations under the current unpredictable ban system. With thousands engaged in the meat sector, from shop owners to daily wage laborers, the economic impact of last-minute closures is far-reaching.

To address this, the Federation has called for three months’ advance notice of planned bans, public announcements in affected localities, inclusion of a PFI representative in relevant decision-making committees, and categories of exemptions, particularly permitting sales outside temple areas during the month of Sawan.

The Maharashtra controversy was triggered after at least five municipal corporations, including those in Nagpur, Nashik, Malegaon, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, and Kalyan-Dombivli announced closures of meat outlets on Aug 15 (Independence Day), with some extending bans to Aug 20 in observance of upcoming festivals.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis responded defensively, stating the state bore no interest in regulating diet, and noting that such closures date back to 1988 under then-CM Sharad Pawar.

However, the crack in consensus widened when Deputy CM Ajit Pawar, despite being part of the ruling coalition, publicly denounced the bans—calling them inappropriate in a multicultural state and asserting that they stirred unnecessary social tension.

Opposition leaders also weighed in with Aaditya Thackeray lambasting the ban as an overreach, asserting the right to choose diets freely, while Jitendra Awhad (NCP-SP) pledged to publicly eat non-veg as a counter-protest.