Parliament Question: Regulation of Beef and Buffalo Meat Exports

GOVERNMENTOFINDIA MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE DEPARTMENTOFHEALTH AND FAMILYWELFARE LOK SABHA UNSTARREDQUESTION NO. 4602 TO BE ANSWERED ON20th MARCH, 2026 REGULATION OFBEEFAND BUFFALO MEAT EXPORTS †4602. SHRI RAJESH RANJAN: Will the Ministerof HEALTHANDFAMILYWELFAREbe pleasedtostate: (a)whether the FoodSafety andStandardsAuthority of India issues licencesor certifications relatedtothe export of beefandbuffalomeatandif so, the detailsthereof; (b) the number of functional slaughterhouses for cattle and buffaloes producing export- quality meatinthe countryasondate, State/UT-wise; (c)whether the FoodSafety andStandardsAuthority of India conductsregularinspections of cattle prior to slaughter in slaughterhouses to ensure that no sick animals are slaughtered and if so, the detailsthereof; and (d) the details of the registered suppliers or establishments where such inspections are conducted? ANSWER THE MINISTEROFSTATE IN THE MINISTRYOFHEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE (SHRIPRATAPRAO JADHAV) (a) to (d): Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI) is mandated to lay down science based standards for articles of food and to regulate their manufacture, storage, distribution, sale and import to ensure availability of safe and wholesome food for human consumption. The implementation and enforcement of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006isa shared responsibility betweenthe Central andStateGovernments. Export and certification related to the export of beef and buffalo meat do not fall underthe ambitof FoodSafety andStandardsAuthority of India (FSSAI).As per Directorate General of Foreign Trade (DGFT)’s Foreign Trade Policy (FTP), the export of beef (meat of cow, oxen, calf) is prohibited and is not permitted to be exported. However, for export of buffalo meat health certificate is issued by the State Veterinarian deputed bythe State Animal HealthDepartment at Agricultural and Processed Food Products Export DevelopmentAuthority (APEDA)’sregistered Meat Establishments. There are 94functional slaughterhouses registered with APEDAfor producingexport- qualitybuffalo meatinthe countryasondate.The State/UT-wise details are asunder:- S.No. State/UT Numberof Units 1 Andhra Pradesh 5 2 Bihar 6 3 Delhi 1 4 Goa 1 5 Haryana 10 6 Karnataka 1 7 Kerala 1 8 Maharashtra 19 9 Punjab 6 10 Telangana 3 11 Uttar Pradesh 40 12 West Bengal 1 Total 94 *****