The Ministry of Agriculture announced on Monday that the supply of sheep and goats for the Aid Al Adha 1443 festival is estimated at nearly 8 million heads.
The supply of sheep and goats for Eid Al Adha slaughter is estimated at nearly 8 million heads, almost double the demand in Morocco, the ministry said in a statement, explaining that demand does not not exceed 5.6 million.
The same source qualifies the health status of the livestock as “generally satisfactory”, adding that of the total heads intended for slaughter this year, the majority are sheep, reaching 5.1 million against 500,000 goats.
“Availability largely covers demand”, explained the same source, adding that in collaboration with the Ministry of the Interior, close monitoring will be carried out and will concern the supply of the various markets to closely observe the prices of the animals marketed. , in particular at the level of supermarkets, rural souks and main points of sale in cities, as well as monitoring of the health status of animals by ONSSA’s veterinary services.
The ministry also underlined that the health status of the livestock “is generally satisfactory” thanks to the continuous efforts made by the National Office for the Sanitary Safety of Food Products (ONSSA), which ensures the permanent health surveillance of farmed animals and their protection against contagious animal diseases throughout the national territory.
In view of the Eid Al Adha holiday, the ministry has set up since the beginning of 2022 a program to continuously monitor the situation of the market supply of animals intended for slaughter for the Eid sacrifice. Al Adha, as well as the health status of the livestock, in consultation with professionals in the sheep and goat sectors, in particular the national association of sheep and goats (ANOC) and the interprofessional federation of red meats (FIVIAR).
Sheep and goat farming has benefited since the start of the 2021-2022 agricultural campaign to date from several support measures put in place by the Ministry to mitigate the effects of drought, according to the same source.
Thus, the implementation of the program to reduce the impact of the rainfall deficit, launched on the instructions of King Mohammed VI, has provided significant support to breeders in the form of subsidized animal feed, in particular barley and compound feed allowing the safeguarding of livestock, particularly during the critical lean periods, marked by the deterioration of rangelands and the high cost of fodder resources.
A program for registering breeding units and identifying sheep and goats intended for Eid 1443 slaughter has been launched by ONSSA since April 1, 2022.
“ONSSA’s veterinary services have registered more than 242,000 sheep and goat fattening units for Eid. These units are subject to regular monitoring for the food used and the health status of the animals, until the day of Eid,” notes the press release from the ministry.
As of June 16, 6 million heads of sheep and goats have been identified by placing specific Eid Adha ear tags on the animals’ ears, bearing a serial number for traceability, the ministry said, noting that this identification operation which is free continues.
In addition, in order to support the logistics of the marketing of animals and the orientation of consumers, the Ministry of Agriculture in collaboration with the regional and provincial authorities will reinforce the infrastructures through the installation of 30 temporary souks specifically dedicated to the sale of animals intended for Eid in the different regions of the Kingdom, according to the same source.
As Eid approaches, only animals bearing the specific “Aid Al Adha” identification tag will be allowed to access the souks and livestock markets, the ministry said.
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