HIBAPRESS – Ahmed Al-Musaed
As part of the ongoing preparations to welcome the blessed Eid al-Adha for the year 1447 AH, various concerned departments in the Eastern Region continue their mobilization to ensure the supply of livestock designated for sacrifice to the markets, and to ensure health safety conditions and monitor the control and marketing operations across the various provinces of the region.
The Eastern Region, considered one of the most important pastoral regions in the Kingdom, has significant qualifications in the field of livestock breeding, where the total number of sheep and goats registered in the region is about 2,527,745 heads, distributed between male and female sheep and goats, which reflects the economic and social importance of the livestock breeding sector in the region, especially since the region is the original home of the Bani Kil breed, "known nationally for its quality and consumer demand during the Eid al-Adha occasion.
Regarding the process of numbering and tracking the herd intended for sacrifices, the process began on March 30, 2026, under the direct supervision of the National Association of Sheep and Goat Breeders, in coordination with the National Office of Food Safety, by mobilizing the association's animators and technicians to ensure the tracking of the herd intended for the Eid.
As of May 17, the process included a total of 6,710 farms, where 244,867 sheep and 22,139 goats were numbered, i.e. a total of 267,006 heads, including about 102,033 heads that were numbered for the first time.
On the health monitoring side, the National Office of Food Safety has intensified its field interventions, where, as of May 13, 521 inspection trips were carried out, specifically for feed and prohibited substances, in addition to taking dozens of laboratory samples related to feed, meat, and irrigation water, as well as organizing 512 awareness days for breeders and professionals, and dealing with citizens' complaints related to Eid al-Adha.
At the livestock marketing level, the Eastern Region has an important network of weekly markets and points of sale, including 49 traditional markets distributed between urban and rural areas, in addition to 7 points of sale belonging to supermarkets and 8 temporary points of sale licensed by the local authorities, in addition to three neighborhood markets that have been prepared by the Ministry of Agriculture.
The field tracking and monitoring operations will continue until Eid al-Adha, which ensures the abundance of supply, the safety of the herd, and the protection of citizens' purchasing power, in full respect of the health and organizational conditions in force.
