Morocco's King Mohammed VI has told people to refrain from sacrificing sheep on Eid Al Adha this year due to a drop in the country's herd following years of drought that have increased the price of meat.
During the religious ritual, millions of sheep, goats and other livestock are sacrificed every year across the Muslim world. However, Morocco has recorded a drop in its livestock of 38 per cent in the last 12 months amid a seventh consecutive year of drought, according to official figures.
There has been 53 per cent less rain in 2025 than the average of the last 30 years, according to the agriculture ministry, leaving a lack of pasture for livestock to feed on.
“Our country is facing climatic and economic challenges that have resulted in a substantial decline in livestock,” King Mohammed VI said in a speech read by the minister of religious affairs on national television.
While acknowledging the importance of the Eid festival, the king called on his people “to refrain from performing the rite of sacrifice”.
“Our commitment to enabling you to fulfil this religious rite under the best conditions is accompanied by the duty to consider the climatic and economic challenges facing our country,” the king said.
Performing the rite “under these difficult circumstances will cause significant harm to large segments of our people, especially those with limited income”, added the king, who is Morocco's supreme religious leader.
Morocco's meat production has dropped in the last year, leading to higher prices in the local market and greater imports. The country recently signed a deal to import up to 100,000 sheep from Australia.
Eid Al Adha commemorates the willingness of Ibrahim, or Abraham, to sacrifice his son.
