Over 68,000 sheep enter UAE for Eid

More than 68,000 sheep have entered the UAE over the past week as dealers step up imports of livestock to cater for bigger appetites during Eid Al Adha, which starts on Sunday, officials said on Wednesday.

The ministry of environment and water said it had tested all the shipments to ensure they meet health terms before they were let in.

“More shipments are expected to arrive in the next days as demand for livestock sharply increases before Eid Al Adha,” the ministry’s undersecretary Mariam Al Shannasi said in a statement.

Officials said this week all abattoirs through the UAE would extend work hours during the four-day Eid and again warned against slaughtering sheep in public.