Sri Lanka bans transportation of beef, mutton as bad weather kills cattle

Sri Lanka on Saturday suspended the transportation of beef and mutton at district and provincial levels after a large number of cattle and goats died in the last two days due to unusually cold weather in areas of north and eastern provinces.

President Ranil Wickremesinghe issued the orders to ensure public health safety, officials said.

According to the statistics by the Department of Animal Production and Health, 358 cattle and 191 goats have died in the northern province, while 444 cattle, 34 buffaloes and 65 goats died in the eastern province.

Director General of the Department of Animal Production and Health Hemali Kothalawala said that specimen of animals will be subjected to laboratory tests at the Veterinary Research Institute on Saturday and Sunday.