Mahatma Gandhi said:

“The greatness of a nation can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”

Animals are not dumb creatures fit only to be slaughtered or beaten or exploited.  

Animals are living sentient beings and have as much or perhaps even more love, emotion, genuine and sincere feelings and sentiments than any human.

Pets and livestock are much more simple, loving, genuine and sincere than humans.

They do not try to cheat or deceive.

The emotions they display are real and with all their heart regardless if they display love or if they display anger.

If everybody saw pets and livestock not as dumb animals, but as intelligent, genuine, sincere sentient beings who are much better than humans, then this world will become vegetarian and there wont be any cruelty to animals.

The Desi Cow has been worshiped from Vedic times, even before Sakyamuni’s and  Shankara’s times.

Unnecessary slaughter of Desi cows of Bharat should not be allowed since they are the foundation of the natural farming method of farming.

However even in the laws of Manu and other texts of the Sanathan Dharma, slaughter of full grown oxen and bulls were allowed, so the slaughter of full grown bulls and oxen should be allowed.

Even in ancient Vedic texts like  Surapala’s Vrikshayurveda,  there is mention of organic fertilisers like Kunapajala, so bulls and other livestock were slaughtered even in Vedic times.

Slaughter of foreign cow breeds can be allowed.

According to Subhash Palekar, and even according to knowledgeable Gau Rakshaks only the Desi Cow qualifies to be called a cow.  

Foreign cow breeds do qualify to be called cows, they are only high yield A1 milk producing mammals similar to the  thousands of other species of non A2 milk producing mammals.

Only A2 milk producing mammals like Desi cows that produce A2 milk can be called cows.

A2 milk is similar to the milk that humans produce and can be drunk easily by babies and small children without any side effects.

Read this article from Down to Earth, one of the most reputed environmental magazines in the world.

The article extract is given below:

The key difference between the two types of milk is the crucial A2 variety of beta casein protein, which is found in the milk of the zebu cows, camel, goat, donkey, buffalo, yak, sheep and even jersey cows.

Indian cattle, scientifically known as Bos Indicus, fall in the zebu category.

Milk from the European Bos Taurus breeds like Holstein, which spread across the developed world due to their high milk yield, contain the A1 variant of beta casein protein, which has been related to allergies and serious health conditions.

In the rare cases if the cows cannot be cared for any more and will die of starvation or disease or cause financial ruin and unnecessary burden on the owner, they should be sent to a True Temple.

However for many poor farmers, selling their old cattle is also a source of income.

Hence in areas where there are no True Temples farmers should be allowed to sell their old cattle.

In poor areas, True Temples should first be established for humans, True Temples for animals have a lower priority than humans.

If there are no True Temples locally that can support animals, then they should be allowed for slaughter in a peaceful way without any stress caused to the animal.

It is better that these animals are put to death in a peaceful way in calm surroundings than allow them to linger and suffer uncared for and starve and rot to death on the streets.

Sheep, goats, chickens and other livestock also have use for manure but are mainly used for meat.

No young animal babies and animal children should be slaughtered for leather or meat.

All animals must first be rendered unconscious before they are killed and killed in the quickest and most painless way possible and they should never be killed and skinned or cut into meat in front of another living animal.  

A prayer to God must be made before killing of any animal.

Even the people who eat meat must first say a prayer of thanks to the animal that was killed for them.

It is the prayer to God that is important before slaughtering the animal, not the way it is slaughtered.

The people who eat meat must get a three year permit before they consume or purchase meat.

To get the permit, they must first visit a slaughterhouse or licensed butcher, see an animal being slaughtered and take a photo/video of the animal that was slaughtered for their consumption while it was being slaughtered.

This photo along with their national id, should be put on a certificate that they use to purchase or eat meat and this should be done every three years.

People who renew the certificate twice, must on the second time of renewal (sixth year), slaughter and skin and gut the animal themselves before they get the certificate.

If they are physically weak and incapable to do this, they must witness the slaughter, skinning and gutting of the animal before their certificate is renewed.

Just like graphic packaging for cigarettes, places that sell and serve meat must show slaughter photos of the animal in their menu photos, and in the places of sale and display of meat.

Tribals living in forest areas should be exempt from the above since hunting is a part of their daily living.

People who eat eggs only should be exempt from this.

People who are forced to eat meat byproducts used in medicine if there are no alternatives should also be exempt from this.

Young children upto 16 years should be exempt from this, but children above 12 years of age must be shown the below video or similar videos showing the real origin of meat which is derived from the torture, suffering and horrible killing of animals.

No slaughter of any animal should be allowed at any place for any religious sacrifice, except for slaughter in a government licensed and regulated slaughter house or government regulated place for slaughter or a government licensed butcher.

This slaughter must be done by a government regulated butcher and all animals must be slaughtered only according to what is specified above.

Any violation of the above must first lead to an arrest of the person who offers the animal for slaughter and then the butcher who slaughtered the animal in an unauthorised way.

They both must be fined Rs 1000/kg of the live weight of the slaughtered animal and made to do 100 hours of community service in a True Temple especially one that is used to serve and take care of animals.

A flat fine of Rs 10000 must be imposed for any animal weighing less than 10kg.

If they cannot pay the fine, their assets should be auctioned off to pay the fine.

Repeat offenders must be given multiples of the punishment for each time they repeat the offence.

Eventually all religious sacrifice of animals must be abolished.

Would you like it if somebody sacrificed your most loved child to please you?

Just like humans, animals are also most loved children of Brahman and are as dear to Brahman as humans.

Brahman’s would not have created animals if Brahman wanted them sacrificed in Brahman’s name.

If we really want to please Brahman with true sacrifice, we should love, take care and protect animals, not kill them.

Sacrifice does not mean killing an animal, sacrifice means giving up what is most dear to you in service of Brahman.

True service and worship of Brahman is by SEVA of Nature and the Brahma Dana which also includes animals.

Any animals that are cruelly treated by anybody including their owners should have fines applied to both the owners and those that treat them poorly, at the rate of one months salary or monthly income per animal they harm.

If they cannot pay the fine their assets should be seized and auctioned.

Repeat offenders should pay multipliers of their salary or income — 2 times offender, 2 times monthly salary/income.

The definition of cruelty is very nuanced and must be used with great discretion.

Bulls, donkeys, horses and other animals have to be lightly beaten or prodded to get them to work.

Sometimes rings have to be tied to their noses and mouth and shoes driven into their hooves to guide them in the correct direction.

Hence the above practices should be allowed but any excessive beating or mutilation that causes serious injury or even death of an animal constitutes cruelty.

However practices such as castration, cutting of tails and beaks and other such things that are not necessary and only done for human benefit constitutes cruelty.

We should allow private farming of wild animals like deer, crocodiles and other wildlife species that are plentiful.

People should be allowed to raise these plentiful wild animals on their farms and sell them for meat or leather or other byproducts.

However these farmers must be strictly regulated and report the source and sale of all such plentiful wild animals.  Now days with RFID , GPS collars and DNA fingerprinting and genetic markers , animals can be easily tracked and monitored.

But eventually not just meat, but all animal products that require the death of an animal must be abolished once manmade biodegradable replacements are invented.

Manmade biodegradable replacements must be invented and produced as soon as possible for all animal products including leather and medicinal purposes.

FACTORY FARMING AND “MODERN” LIVESTOCK “AGRICULTURE”

All factory farming should be stopped.

There should never be any practice of American and Western style factory farming.

The animals must be raised in as close to their natural state as possible without excess antibiotics and absolutely no hormones.

Dairy farms can exist according to traditional methods of Bharat before the colonisation by FUKUS.

For dairy farms, at least 30% of the cows milk should be given to the calf for its entire nursing period and at least 40% should be given to the calf for the first 45 days.

LEATHER

Leather can be obtained only by skinning of already dead animals.

Leather can also be allowed from animals slaughtered for meat according to the above laws.