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Morocco, a country suffering from drought, asks its citizens to refrain from slaughtering sheep during Eid al-Adha

The King of Morocco, Mohammed VI, asked Moroccans to refrain from slaughtering sheep this Eid al-Adha due to the decline in the herd after years of drought.

Eid al-Adha is a celebration of Abraham's willingness to sacrifice his son at God's will. It takes place in June. Muslims celebrate the occasion by killing sheep or goats. The meat is then shared with family members and donated to the needy.

According to official statistics, the Moroccan cattle and sheep herds will have declined by 38% between 2025 and 2009 due to successive droughts.

The King stated in a letter that was read by his religious affairs minister Ahmed Taoufiq to state television Al Oula, "We are committed to helping you fulfill this religious ritual in the best possible conditions. However, we must also consider the economic and climatic challenges our country faces. These have resulted in a significant decrease in livestock numbers."

The King, the supreme religious leader of Morocco, said that performing the rite under these circumstances would cause harm to a large segment of our population, particularly those with low income.

This year's rainfall was 53% less than average for the past 30 years. The result is a shortage of pastures to feed livestock. The meat production has decreased, resulting in higher prices on the local market, and increased imports of red meat, live cattle and sheep.

Recently, the country signed an agreement to import 100,000 sheep from Australia.

Morocco's 2025 budget suspended import duties on cattle, sheep and camels, as well as a value added tax, to maintain prices in the domestic market. (Reporting and editing by Richard Chang; Ahmed Eljechtimi)

(source: Reuters)