Goa is staring at beef shortage from today with the traders refusing to import the meat from neighbouring state alleging harassment by cow vigilante.

The association of the traders have said that the regular supply fresh beef which was arriving from Belagavi in Karnataka has stopped from today till State government assures the solution for harassment unleashed by the cow vigilante.

“The harassment by the groups which call themselves as cow lovers have increased in the State since the time of Christmas. The traders have now decided not to import any beef as the trucks are being stopped and confiscated in the name of illegality by those groups,” Manna Bepari, President, All Goa Qureshi Meat Traders Association said.

He said that the beef shortage will hit the state from today onwards as 15 tonnes of fresh beef and  5-10 tonnes of beef supplied to the cold storages which was being imported from Belagavi has stopped.

“There is no production of beef within the State of Goa as the lone state-run abattoir Goa Meat Complex Limited is not operational,” Bepari said.

The groups including Gau Raksha Abhiyaan had began crusade against the illegal import of the beef with trucks carrying the meat being checked at the border. A major consignment of the beef was seized yesterday at the border by State police with the help of these groups, which has led to unrest amongst the traders.

Bepari questioned by the groups are particularly targeting the beef consignments while systematically avoiding to check the trucks loaded with mutton or other items which are imported from Belagavi.

He ruled out that the beef has been illegally imported in the State. “We bring it from the legal slaughter houses of Karnataka. If any group has any problem with those slaughter houses they should go their and protest and not stop our trucks resulting in the loses of lakhs of rupees,” Bepari added.

The traders are demanding that the State government should immediately intervene in the matter, until then, the beef would not be imported in Goa.