Yak has been approved as a 'food animal' by the FSSAI

The Himalayan Yak has been authorised as a 'food animal' by the Food Safety and Standard Authority of India (FSSAI). The approach is likely to help slow the decrease of the high-altitude bovine animal's population by incorporating it into the traditional milk and meat industries, according to an official at the National Research Centre (NRC) on Yak in Dirang, West Kameng district, Arunachal Pradesh.

Food animals are those that are raised for food production or human consumption. The NRC-Yak had made a proposal to the FSSAI in 2021 to evaluate the yak as a food animal. However, the FSSAI recently responded with an official permission following a suggestion from the department of Animal Husbandry and Dairying, according to NRC-Yak Director Dr Mihir Sarkar. The animal serves a multifaceted socio-cultural-economic role for pastoral nomads who raise yaks primarily for nutritional and livelihood security due to the virtual absence of other agricultural activity in the Himalayan region's high reaches.

Traditionally, yaks are raised through a rudimentary, unstructured, and difficult transhumance system. "FSSAI's classification of Yak as a food producing animal would enable farmers benefit monetarily for growing the animal and will open up various vistas of economic benefits for both farmers and food processors," said Dr Sarkar. He stated that the Centre has devised a semi-intensive yak raising approach in which yaks are kept in open areas as well as paddocks all year. It is commonly assumed that the FSSAI's certification of yak as a food animal will clear the way for its commercial rearing and consumption through the use of the yak rearing model created by NRC-Yak.

According to Dr. Sarkar, the country's Yak population has been declining at an alarming rate over the years. According to the most recent livestock census in 2019, India has 58,000 yaks, a 25% decrease from the previous livestock census in 2012. "This significant drop in yak population in India has been a source of concern for local consumers, government officials, and those who encourage animal genetic variety conservation," Dr Sarkar added.

Yak milk is extremely nutritious, high in fat, rich in important minerals, and has therapeutic properties. Yak farmers raise a variety of traditional meat items. The director stated that these goods are limited to the local community level, manufactured and marketed locally, and that yak meat is known to be exceptionally lean and superior to beef. "The fall in yak population could be due to lower yak compensation, as younger generations are hesitant to continue nomadic yak rearing. It is mostly due to the fact that yak milk and meat are not part of the normal dairy and meat industries; their sale is restricted to local consumers "He stated.

(source : PTI)