Bullocks are staring at an existential crisis

Noor Jamal, a farmer and shepherd from Jumhar Dhaar village in Chamba district, Himachal Pradesh, was attacked by a bear late at night on October 18, 2024. The bear began to drag him away, but Jamal's two bullocks, tied to a post nearby, became frantic at seeing their owner in danger. With a burst of strength, they broke free, charged at the bear, and forced it to let Jamal go, then chased it away from the village. People who heard the story praised the bullocks for their loyalty and bravery.

Bullocks are known for their strong attachment to their homes and their owners, and this is often reflected in stories and real-life accounts. Munshi Premchand's short story Tale of Two Bullocks (Do Bailon Ki Katha) is one such tale where the bullocks struggle and find their way back home from a long distance on their own. In fact, a Bhil tribal farmer told a real-life story about some bullocks who were able to find their way back to their original village after being sent away for many years. These stories highlight the incredible loyalty and determination of bullocks.

Premchand’s famous story was later made into a film Heera Moti with beautiful folk music. The classic film Teesri Kasam, which won the President’s award, had a rustic bullock cart driver as its main character, played by Raj Kapoor.

Farmers once took great pride in their bullocks, decorating them carefully as they headed to fairs with family and friends on bullock carts. Some fairs even hosted bullock and bullock cart races. In most Indian villages, bullocks have long been essential for various tasks like ploughing, lifting water for irrigation, threshing, processing crops (like oilseeds and sugarcane), transport, and carrying farm produce.

Sex-sorted semen

In recent times, bullocks have been suffering from neglect as modern farm equipment like tractors have replaced many of their roles on the farm. Sadly, in some villages, the importance of bullocks is being forgotten. Making matters worse, a new technology called sex-sorted semen is gaining traction in India's Department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, through the Rashtriya Gokul Mission (RGM). The technology allows for the production of only female calves, leaving the bullocks at a disadvantage.

A Press Information Bureau (PIB) note from July 19, 2022, titled ‘RGM attains remarkable achievements’ outlined the progress of this technology up until that date. The note said sex-sorted semen was introduced in India for the production of mostly female calves with up to 90% accuracy. It claimed that using sex-sorted semen would “be a game changer not only for enhancing milk production but also limiting stray cattle population.”

The PIB note went on to explain the government's efforts and stated that the government had set up four government semen stations and three private ones to produce sex sorted semen. So far, about 44 lakh (10 lakh=one million) doses of sex sorted semen have been produced.

The government has also started a program to improve the breeds of cattle using sex sorted semen. Under this program, the government hopes to create 51 lakh (5.1 million) pregnancies and will give farmers a subsidy of Rs 750 or 50% of the cost of sorted semen for each successful pregnancy.

While all this is officially mentioned as a big achievement, questions need to be raised whether this can be accepted as moving in the right direction.

Importance of bullocks

Though tractors have become widely used across the country, many farmers in smaller villages still rely on bullocks for tasks like ploughing, transport, and other work, showing that bullocks are still valuable to them.

Some small farmers who bought tractors later regretted their decision, as they struggled to pay off the instalments and fell deeply into debt. There have been several reports of suicides linked to these financial pressures.

Tractors regularly use fossil fuels, and their widespread use in villages has significantly increased the demand for these fuels. The heavy machinery also damages the soil in some cases. Tractors might not be ideal for small farms or for working in tight, narrow spaces.

However, as natural farming gains more support, even in areas where tractors are commonly used, people are beginning to recognize the value of bullock dung and urine as a free and effective source of manure. These are also useful for making natural pest repellents. Even if bullocks only stay in the fields for a few days before planting, it still benefits the soil. While cow dung and urine are highly valued, bullock dung and urine can be just as beneficial.

It is true that tractors are appearing very fast in villages around here. However, my two bullocks are my heera-moti, the jewels of my farm, I'll never discard them. They'll always be with me.

Bullocks remain important, especially for small farmers, as they help with various farm tasks. This is even more practical when two or more farmers share the bullocks and their feed costs.

While the government has already prioritised cow protection, it must also consider whether protecting cows alone is feasible without also protecting bullocks. Some villagers I spoke to believe it's unnatural to focus only on saving one gender of an animal while ignoring the other. They also pointed out that using technology to prevent male calves from being born could lead to unforeseen health risks.

There's also concern about how this could affect the quality of milk, as technology aimed at ensuring only female calves are born might have unintended consequences.

Ethical concerns

From an animal rights perspective, it's questionable whether technocrats or bureaucrats have the ethical or legal authority to dictate the birth of only one gender in any species. If this becomes accepted for one species, what prevents it from being applied to other animals as well?

These questions haven't been properly studied, as there's been a rush to introduce new and untested technology. It's important to approach this with caution and carefully consider all the potential issues before moving forward.

Rather than rushing into a quick fix, we need to make a balanced decision that looks at all factors to avoid regret if new problems arise later.

Although the technology is being promoted as a solution to the issue of stray animals damaging crops, my conversations with villagers, including those facing this problem, revealed they don't support focusing only on female calves.

In fact, instead of neglecting bullocks or discouraging their birth, there’s a strong case for the government to adopt policies that encourage the protection of bullocks. This could be especially beneficial in promoting natural farming, reducing fossil fuel use, and helping small farmers lower their costs and debt.

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