‘People Should Be Allowed To Eat Meat Of…’: Kerala Minister P Prasad’s Remark Sparks Outrage

Kerala Agriculture Minister P Prasad has created a huge controversy after he proposed that individuals should be given permission to kill wild boars and consume their flesh to curb the growing number of crop damage cases in the state.

Addressing a programme conducted by the Paalamel panchayat on Saturday, Prasad indicated that allowing the consumption of wild boar meat could provide a “quicker solution” to the issue that is being faced by farmers in the wake of wild animal attacks.

In my view, individuals should be permitted to consume the flesh of wild boars killed in farm fields. If wild boar killing and consumption of meat is permitted to people, the problem will be sorted out much earlier. But the law doesn’t permit this,” said Prasad, as quoted in a PTI report.

The minister, however, also accepted that current central legislation bans the eating of wild boar meat, which makes such a step legally impossible at the moment. He explained further that wild boars are not a threatened species and that controlled killing and eating would not endanger their numbers. 

Wild Boar Conflict On The Rise In Kerala

Prasad’s observations are made barely a week after the Kerala Assembly had approved a bill intended to make amendments to the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972, with the objective of stemming rising human-animal conflicts throughout the state.

Over the past few years, farmers in Kerala mostly in hilly and forest-margin regions have complained consistently of wild boar raids on crops, incurring heavy financial losses. Wild boars have been cited by the state government as one of the most damaging species responsible for this issue.

A recent state report stated that abandoned farmland, trash buildup, and behavioural changes among animals have compelled species such as wild boar, bonnet macaque, and peafowl out of forestland into human habitations, where they have started breeding quickly.

Public Debate Over Minister’s Remark

Prasad’s statement “kill wild boars and consume their meat” has caused huge controversy on the internet and among ecologists. While some farmers’ associations have supported the proposal, terming it as an expression of ground realities confronting cultivators, critics say that it argues for an unscientific and insensitive wildlife management style.

Ecologists have asked for an even-handed, scientific approach that emphasizes ecological preservation coupled with farmer safety.

Government Yet to Clarify Stance

The Kerala government has not officially responded to the controversy yet. However, the issue is likely to resurface in the Assembly as discussions continue around managing human-animal conflicts and safeguarding agricultural livelihoods.

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