Unlicensed and unchecked: Shocking reality of meat shops across Lucknow

It’s shocking but true that the meat trade in the state capital has been operating in a regulatory vacuum for nearly eight years, raising serious concerns about food safety, animal welfare and environmental compliance.

Since 2017, neither the Food Safety and Drug Administration (FSDA) nor the Lucknow Municipal Corporation (LMC) has issued licences or No Objection Certificates (NOCs) to meat vendors due to the lack of a functioning government-approved slaughterhouse in the city.

This situation has allegedly allowed over 2,000 meat vendors to run their businesses unchecked. According to industry estimates, more than 5,000 goats and approximately 25,000 chickens are slaughtered and sold daily in Lucknow without any supervision or standard hygiene protocols.

Currently, most of the meat in the city is sourced from small-scale butcher shops. The animals are slaughtered in places, which are not conducive. This is done in clear violation of several laws.

Municipal animal welfare officer Dr Abhinav Verma said: “The meat business is indeed running without the required approvals. Animals are displayed in the open and slaughtered inside small shops, flouting multiple laws, including the Animal Cruelty Act.”

Prior to 2017, the Lucknow Municipal Corporation was responsible for regulating meat sales and operated an abattoir for the purpose. Thereafter, the responsibility for issuing licenses was shifted to the FSDA. The LMC was left with the limited role of providing NOCs. With the closure of the LMC’s abattoir, the entire system came to a standstill.

The FSDA, under current regulations, cannot issue licences unless the meat is processed in a government-approved slaughterhouse. Similarly, the LMC refuses to issue NOCs without such a facility in place. Amid this bureaucratic impasse, vendors continue operations without the required permits.

Assistant commissioner, FSDA-Lucknow, VP Singh said: “How can we issue licences when the animals are not being slaughtered in proper facilities? None of the vendors meet the criteria required by the FSDA. Not a single licence has been issued in the last seven years.”

Tasleem Qureshi, a wholesale meat dealer at the Bhedi Mandi and secretary of the Meat Sellers’ Association, said: “We cannot shut our businesses indefinitely while waiting for a slaughterhouse to be built. People’s livelihoods depend on this trade.”

The Prevention and Control of Pollution (Uniform Consent Procedure) Rules, 1999, categorises slaughterhouses as ‘red category’ units—deemed heavily polluting and subject to stringent environmental regulations. Moreover, the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (Slaughter House) Rules, 2001 mandates humane practices in slaughtering animals, which are allegedly routinely flouted in these small setups.

Despite repeated reminders and directives from higher authorities, including a 2012 Supreme Court order instructing states to modernize slaughterhouses and establish monitoring bodies, no tangible progress has been made in Lucknow. The absence of oversight has resulted in widespread non-compliance with hygiene and animal welfare norms.

Acknowledging the complexity of the situation, additional municipal commissioner for Animal Welfare AK Rao said: “LMC can take action, but it becomes a law and order issue involving livelihood rights and cultural food habits. A balanced approach is needed.”

Meanwhile, a section of residents has expressed concern over the lack of sanitation and the cruel treatment of animals in local meat shops.

But complaints regarding open slaughter, improper disposal of animal waste, and unhygienic conditions have allegedly gone largely unaddressed by civic authorities.

The demand for a modern slaughterhouse is becoming increasingly urgent, said Lucknow Municipal Corporation corporator Sayyed Yawar Hussain Reshu.

Officials across departments agree that establishing such a facility is the first step toward resolving the regulatory impasse and ensuring compliance with national food safety and environmental standards.