There was a time when Bangladesh depended on India, Myanmar and Nepal for sacrificial animals for Eid-ul-Azha. But after India's current prime minister Narendra Modi came to power, the flow of cattle from India to Bangladesh fell sharply. In 2014, for the first time, Bangladesh faced a severe shortage of sacrificial animals.

It was essentially from then that the government and farmers realised livestock numbers had to be increased within the country. Thanks to government efforts in the livestock sector and the contributions of farmers and researchers since then, Bangladesh's dependence on others for sacrificial animals has fallen, and for several years there has even been a surplus.

According to the ministry, 1,25,36,333 animals are ready for Qurbani this year: 48,43,752 cattle and buffalo, 76,90,000 goats and sheep and 2,581 animals of other species. By division, Dhaka has 8,95,454 animals fit for sacrifice, Chattogram 20,53,128, Rajshahi 45,11,614, Khulna 15,11,708, Barishal 4,93,206, Sylhet 4,10,225, Rangpur 19,62,951 and Mymensingh 6,98,047. The ministry says 1,03,94,739 animals will be needed for Qurbani this year, leaving a surplus of 21,41,594.

Even with a surplus, consumers are worried about adulterated (non-organic) animals. Every year, ahead of Eid, a group of dishonest traders starts giving cattle excessive doses of various drugs and chemicals several weeks in advance to fatten them for good prices. Excess water begins to collect in the animal's body, its kidneys, lungs, stomach and liver begin to fail, and it becomes seriously ill.

When steroids or hormones are given to an animal, they stop it urinating. Water then builds up under the skin and the body's cells swell, making the animal look healthy. This is harmful both to the animal and to those who eat its meat. Section 14 of the Fish Feed and Animal Feed Act says the use of any hormone, steroid or harmful chemical to fatten livestock is completely banned.

Cattle fattening in Bangladesh is done in two ways, regular and seasonal, and seasonal fattening ahead of Eid is more common. According to experts, steroids or drugs take 5 to 6 hours to start working in an animal's body. To fatten cattle scientifically without such drugs, changes to how the animal is raised must begin at least 90 to 120 days in advance. To supply consumers with unadulterated animals, government officials at divisional, district and upazila level have already told farmers about the harm of misusing steroids and hormones during training in safe, scientific fattening, and farmers have acted accordingly. This year 72,563 farmers have been trained in livestock fattening.

As in other years, 3,195 sacrificial animal markets will be held across the country under the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock's initiative, where adulterated (harmfully fattened) animals will be identified and other services provided. In the capital's North and South city corporations, 21 markets will be held, 19 temporary and two permanent. A total of 1,623 veterinary medical teams have been formed to work at these markets.

Aprons, masks, chairs and tables, buckets and mugs are being supplied to those working in the veterinary medical teams, along with T-shirts, caps, posters, leaflets, banners and festoons carrying slogans on safe food and meat, to equip the veterinary camps. A central monitoring team and an expert team have been formed to monitor the veterinary teams' work, and six monitoring teams and a control room have been set up to manage the sacrificial animal markets.

Although there are enough animals, some dishonest, profiteering traders create artificial shortages in various ways for their own gain. Ordinary consumers suffer, and small farmers also face losses. The Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock has taken several steps to protect farmers. One, as in other years, is to carry sacrificial animals by rail from regions with high livestock production to regions with low production. The railway will offer special facilities and low-cost transport, and transport will be planned so that there are enough animals everywhere in the country.

To let farmers sell their animals at the market of their choice and stop anyone forcing them to unload on the way, farmers can call 999, and local law enforcement will take the necessary action. This year there is a government directive that no toll (hasil) may be collected from anyone who sells an animal at a farm, and a farmer who sells from home will not have to pay toll either. If someone sells an animal on the way to market, the lessee cannot forcibly collect extortion money or toll. To prevent artificial shortages, animals may be sold on the way to market and at home, but markets may not be set up on roads. Animals can also be sold through Digital Haat. The ministry concerned will help all city corporations coordinate with the Dairy Farmers Association and e-commerce associations and groups on online livestock trading.

Livestock experts are also spreading messages on how an ordinary consumer can tell a healthy cow from a sick one, so that a buyer at a market can easily judge.

First, in cattle given chemicals or drugs, everything from the muscles to other organs swells abnormally. Because of the water in the body, pressing different parts leaves a dent that takes time to return to normal. Second, because of the excess weight, such cattle cannot move normally and stay still.

Cattle given chemicals are extremely tired and drowsy, while healthy cattle move briskly and flick away mosquitoes and flies with their ears and tail. Third, the top of a healthy cow's nose is moist or beaded with sweat, while a sick cow's nose is dry. Because the organs of cattle fed adulterated drugs begin to fail, they breathe fast and seem to pant. Fourth, saliva drips constantly from the mouths of cattle given excess steroids, and they do not want to eat.

A healthy cow's coat is bright and its hump is thick, taut and free of marks. Its thigh muscle is firm, whereas the legs of a chemically treated cow are soft and flabby. The fifth sign is that if the cow's body temperature is higher than normal (above 103 degrees Fahrenheit), it is sick.

The sixth sign is that a healthy cow's ribs are visible through the skin. A healthy cow tied up will often try to break loose, wag its tail frequently and call loudly, yet in the midst of its restlessness will soon bury its mouth in the food in front of it again. Another key sign of a healthy cow is that it chews the cud. A sick cow will have a higher temperature and loose dung, saliva will drip from its mouth, and it will not eat even with food in front of it, nor chew the cud.

To keep the environment healthy and maintain the quality of hides, 31,799 people, including 15,132 professional butchers and 16,667 seasonal butchers, have been trained by the government in hygienic slaughter and in removing and preserving hides.

For the coming Eid-ul-Azha, directives have been issued to sacrifice animals at designated places as far as possible rather than anywhere on the roads. City corporations and district and upazila officials have also launched wide publicity urging people to clean up offal and other waste themselves to protect the environment.

To prevent financial mishaps for buyers and sellers, Bangladesh Bank has moved to introduce cashless transactions at cattle markets in Dhaka and Chattogram, which will reduce incidents such as the spread of counterfeit notes, theft and mugging.

Above all, may this effort to give buyers and sellers unadulterated sacrificial animals and hassle-free markets for Qurbani succeed.

The writer is a public relations officer at the Fisheries and Livestock Information Office, Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock.

Source: Jagonews24. First published in Bengali on The Agro News.