Are chickens animals? An Indian court will define the future of poultry companies

Two public interest litigations have been filed in the High Court that have left the future of chicken shops in India’s Gujarat uncertain. They pose a specific question to the judges: they must decide whether or not chickens should be considered animals.

The lawsuits state that animals, including chickens, should be slaughtered in slaughterhouses, not local poultry shops. Animal Welfare Trust and Ahimsa Maha Sangam have filed petitions in the state court Implementation of various laws and directions of Supreme Court for proper functioning of slaughterhouses.

The Surat Municipal Corporation has already closed several shops based on the High Court order Animals should not be slaughtered in shops as this violates the rules and affects hygiene standards.

During the hearing, the magistrate asked, “Can a chicken be considered an animal?The lawyer highlighted Section 2(a) of the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act, which defines the word animal as “any living being other than a human being”. He also cited the provisions of the Food Safety and Standards Act, 2006, which states that live animals should not be allowed inside the premises of slaughterhouses.

Counsel for the petitioners argued that When there are rules that state that the chicken must be stunned before slaughter, the question arises as to whether the chicken should be slaughtered in an inhumane manner.

“They are killed alive in front of other animals. In fact, under the regulation of the Food Standards and Safety Act, it says that live animals are not even allowed inside the butchery premises.” Step said Indian Times.

Local chicken shop owners hope that the verdict will be in their favor and that their shops will open as soon as possible. They are keeping their fingers crossed that the High Court will hear their pleas. However, the impasse continued during the hearing of the case in the Gujarat High Court.

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