Work relating to registration of slaughter houses is handled by the states. The Food Safety and Standards Authority of India (FSSAI), an agency of the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, Government of India and responsible for protecting and promoting public health through the regulation and supervision of food safety too issues licenses when these fall in its domain.
The Union Health Minister, J P Nadda said the Rajya Sabha that in all 62 slaughter houses are registered with FSSAI. Uttar Pradesh has highest number of slaughter houses registered with the apex body with 20 followed by Maharashtra (8) and Punjab (7). States like Haryana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu and West Bengal have four each registered houses. Kerala (3), Telangana (2) and Andhra Pradesh, Assam, Bihar, Delhi, Goa and Himachal Pradesh have one each houses registered with FSSAI. The minister observed that FSSAI has not issued any licenses in the following states – Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Arunachal Pradesh, Chandigarh, Chhattisgarh, Dadra & Nagar Haveli, Daman & Diu, Gujarat, Jammu & Kashmir, Jharkhand, Lakshadweep, Madhya Pradesh, Meghalaya, Manipur, Mizoram, Nagaland, Odisha, Puducherry, Rajasthan, Sikkim, Tripura and Uttarakhand.
The minister noted that the government has, with a view to ensure that all slaughter houses operate with valid licenses, taken up the matter with the chief secretaries and secretaries of Urban Local Bodies of the States/Union Territories and other concerned authorities inviting their attention to the legal provisions in this behalf. The need for effective regulation of slaughter houses was taken up as an agenda item in the last meeting of the Central Advisory Committee comprising the Food Safety Commissioners of states. Attention of the State/ Union Territory governments has also been invited to the species of animals which are permissible for slaughtering as per sub regulation 2.5.1 of the Food Safety and Standards (Food Products Standards & Food Additives) Regulations, 2011 as under viz:
1) Ovines,
2) Caprines,
3) Suillines,
4) Bovines,
5) And includes poultry & fish.
Regular surveillance, monitoring and inspection are undertaken by States/UT governments under FSS Act, 2006 to check compliance of the related rules and regulations.