Vadodara: At a time when debate over cow vigilantism is raging , a report published by the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO) has revealed male calves in Gujarat are routinely sold for slaughter, starved or abandoned on the streets.FIAPO is country's apex animal protection organisation having over 200 supporter organisations across the country.This is the scene in the state, which is famed as cradle of India's White Revolution and has one of the strictest laws for cow protection in the country.In Gujarat, the investigation covered 47 dairies with 2,441 cattle in four districts - Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Anand and Surat. This included seven big dairies (with 100 or more cattle) and eleven such units which were selling milk "opportunistically" to cooperatives or private players depending on whichever paid them more.Around 49 % commercial dairies or 'tabelas' sell their male calves either for slaughter or to smaller farms. And nearly 72 % such dairies continue milking animals even when they are sick - FIAPO's national investigation report 'CATTLE-OUGE' which claims of exposing the reality of India's White Revolution states.The report shows the horrifying state of cattle in 451 milk producing centres from country's ten leading milk producing states including Gujarat, NCT Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra, Telangana and Tamil Nadu.The report suggest that 45 % of the dairies surveyed followed the practice of separating the calves from their mother almost immediately on birth - so that the milk can be sold putting tremendous psychological suffering upon the mothers, which in turn affects their lactation."Shockingly, in order to keep the mothers lactating (which is difficult to achieve in the absence of calves), there is extensive use of a hormone called oxytocin, which is very painful to cattle. Thirty four % of the dairies we surveyed were using oxytocin," said FIAPO's director Arpan Sharma.With none of the dairies that were surveyed having a regular veterinarian visiting the units, the ill animals were being continuously used for milking.The report states that as a result of extremely exploitative practices, animals are going "dry" much quicker in almost all milk producing states making India world's second largest beef exporter in absence of raising any beef cattle at all."It is not just the animals which are getting exploited but also the consumers of milk and dairy products as the conditions in which animals are kept are intrinsically linked to the quality and safety of the product," said Sharma."The Food Safety and Standards Authority (FSSAI) regulations pertain only to milk processing but the authority is silent on conditions that need to prevail at the point of milk production," he added.All dairies depended on availability of local government and cooperative veterinarians for treatment of their animalsBOX: FIAPO urges Guj govt to frame guidelinesVadodara: Holding commercial dairies responsible for growing civic problems like stray cattle roaming around in major cities of the state, the Federation of Indian Animal Protection Organisations (FIAPO) has urged Gujarat government to frame guidelines regarding upkeep of dairy animals and licenses issued by municipal bodies to such dairies. The federation has sent two letters to the urban development and animal husbandry departments recently in which it has urged the state government to form rules to regulate the management, housing and upkeep of dairy animals. "Presently, through the Gujarat Municipalities Act, 1963, municipal bodies issue licenses to such dairies in urban areas. But there are no guidelines like how should the animals be kept, in how much space and in what conditions," said a FIAPO official.

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