Morocco Cracks Down on Illegal Sheep Sales Ahead of Eid al-Adha

Regulating a sector prone to abuses by intermediaries (samsaras) and speculators while strictly applying King Mohammed VI’s decision to cancel the ritual sacrifice this year. These are the objectives of this mobilization. This follows an observation: while the prefecture of Salé orchestrates a real security operation through veterinary services, municipal agents, and law enforcement, who ensure to prohibit any transaction related to the sacrifice two weeks before Eid, some citizens circumvent the measure by using family celebrations (births, weddings) as a pretext to acquire sheep, sometimes sold clandestinely in farms equipped with stables, reports Al Akhbar.

King Mohammed VI had, it should be remembered, called for not performing the Eid al-Adha sacrifice this year due to the difficult circumstances the country is going through. The "climatic and economic challenges" have had a significant impact on Moroccan livestock, with a "substantial regression" in the number of available animals. This situation, if it persisted, could put many families in difficulty, particularly those with modest incomes, who would not have the means to obtain a sheep for Eid. This measure, taken in a context of livestock crisis, thus aims to preserve national resources and financially relieve the most modest Moroccan families.

Breeders who are directly affected by this measure will receive direct aid and compensation covering breeding costs from the government as part of a livestock restructuring plan.