PANAJI : The government in a period of four months will formulate a scheme to support the dairy farmers in maintaining their old and non-lactating cows.
Coming out with this information, Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar on Tuesday said the particular scheme would be ready in three to four months and will be on the lines of the existing Goa stray cattle management scheme.
Parrikar, who also holds the animal husbandry and veterinary services portfolio, replying to a related query from senior Congress MLA Pratapsing Rane during the question hour of the state legislative assembly said that ban on cow slaughter has been existing in Goa for long, with a related legislation enacted in 1978.
“I will make a scheme for individual farmers wherein the government will financially support them to feed the old cows, which no longer give milk,” he assured, pointing out that the scheme would look into both the business aspect of dairy as well as compassion aspect towards cows.
The Chief Minister said that any dairy farmer easily recovers the cost of cow through her milk as also makes profit, especially with Rs 10 per litre subsidy given by the government towards milk.
“Therefore it is a duty of every dairy farmer to take care of the cow in her old age,” he added. Responding to the observation by Benaulim MLA Churchill Alemao that cows were slaughtered at Khareband, in Margao until 10 years ago, Parrikar said that if such a thing was done, then it was an illegal act.