With the advent of Eid Al-Adha (Greater Bairam) Egyptians tend to buy extra amounts of meat to celebrate the feast, commonly known as the Feast of Meat.
However, “commercial recession has taken its toll on the market,” said Said Zaghloul, a member of the Butchers Division at the Giza Federation of Chambers of Commerce. Commercial recession arises when prices climb slightly, while consumer demand declines, largely due to the erosion in the real value of wages and salaries, Zaghloul explained.
“Meat prices are affected primarily by the exchange rate of the dollar, which increased from LE47 last year to LE50 per dollar, due to its association with the price of fodder.
“In the past, during periods of commercial recession, prices tended to drop. However, most traders today are unable to reduce prices,” Zaghloul told Al-Ahram Weekly.
He said this was largely due to the emergence of a new trend among breeders who now depend on bank loans to finance the purchase of livestock and thus remain obligated to repay interest regardless of market fluctuations, a fact that leaves them only a small window to react to the decline in demand.
“Previously, livestock was bred by people using their own capital. If the market price for meat was LE120 per kg, they might sell it for LE100 to secure sales. That flexibility no longer exists.”
Zaghloul added that in the past, livestock breeders were also butchers. In contrast, today’s breeders are predominantly investment-oriented, with approximately 70 per cent of them classified as “investment breeders”.
He recalled that in the weeks leading up to Eid Al-Adha, consumers would typically begin reserving sacrificial animals — whether sheep or calves — or begin placing orders for specific quantities of meat. However, this is not the case this year: “No one is considering purchasing a sheep, the price of which may reach LE20,000,” Zaghloul said.
A recent report by the Cairo Chamber of Commerce showed a marked decline in consumer spending on red meat, as many people shift their focus towards more essential needs. Expenditures on beef and veal have notably decreased due to price hikes, while demand for goat and buffalo meat has remained comparatively stable, owing to their lower prices.
Karim, a butcher tending to a flock of 100 sheep in Mounib district, said “I bought the sheep from Lower Egypt and the cost of feeding them clean fodder is about LE1,000 a day. I sell the sheep for LE220 per kg.”
A sheep yields half of its weight in meat, and the animal weighs from 70 to 100 kg, he noted.
Mohsen is a butcher at a farm in Obour. He said the price of live beef cattle stands at LE195 per kg, while buffalo meat is priced at LE170 per kg. “Slaughtering a calf incurs an additional cost of LE4,000, with average weights ranging between 300 kg and 350 kg. The meat yield from a slaughtered calf is typically around 58 per cent of its weight when alive,” he added.
Meat prices typically increase with the advent of Eid Al-Adha. “Prices have risen slightly this year,” Mohsen noted. “Last year, the price of a live beef calf was LE180 per kg, and a buffalo calf was LE160.”
“Our farm operates throughout the year. We source calves and sheep from rural areas through trusted breeders. Animals are raised for a minimum of three months at the farm before slaughter. Naturally, the costs of transportation, feed, and farm operations continue to rise. This is inevitably reflected in the final price of meat,” Mohsen said.
According to Zaghloul, “sacrificial animals are sourced from various governorates across Egypt. Pricing is influenced by transportation costs, rising fuel, and labour costs, and animal mortality rates. Losses due to mortality are factored into the price of the remaining animals.”
Sacrificial animal meat prices vary depending on the area of residence, Zaghloul said, estimating an average price increase of 10 per cent compared to last year.
Some people opt for sacrificial animal vouchers provided by civil society organisations.
Several civil society organisations have introduced sacrificial meat vouchers this year for LE10,000 for local meat, up from LE9,600 in 2024 and LE7,900 in 2023. The voucher grants the donor 10 kg of meat and one kg of liver. Many NGOs, particularly those affiliated with the National Alliance for Civil Development Work (NACDW), such as Misr Al-Kheir, Al-Orman, Sonaa Al-Kheir, and Sonaa Al-Hayat, offer installment payment options.
The Orman Charitable Association, a member of the NACDW, has introduced a 12-month installment plan for sacrificial offerings, following the issuance of a religious edict from Egypt’s Dar Al-Ifta.
Ahmed, a Heliopolis resident in his 40s, is participating in the programme for the second consecutive year. “This method ensures the meat is distributed to families in remote and impoverished areas and places I am unable to access myself. Additionally, the portion I receive is delivered pre-packaged, sparing my wife the kitchen hassle and my burden of coordinating with butchers and managing the slaughtering process,” he explained.
In recent years, collective ownership of sacrificial animals among neighbours or extended families has become increasingly common. Some people now pursue this arrangement all year long and not only with the advent of the greater Bairam as a practical solution to secure local meat for year-round consumption at a lesser price than the butcher’s or supermarket.
Mohsen, a Heliopolis dweller, has decided to pursue this idea, buying a calf, slaughtering it, and distributing it among his neighbours and his family. He said he pooled funds to provide high-quality local meat for his family.
On 20 May the Ministry of Supply and Internal Trade opened markets for selling sheep in an effort to regulate market prices and increase the supply of fresh and frozen meat at co-ops across the branches of the Holding Company for Food Industries.
Cairo governorate has also implemented a series of measures to cap rising meat prices. Meat sales outlets have been established to offer fresh, local, and imported meat at prices accessible to low-income households. Frozen meat and poultry are being distributed at both fixed and mobile outlets, particularly in underserved and densely populated areas under the supervision of the Veterinary Medicine Directorate, the Supply Directorate, and municipalities.
To further meet public demand, the Holding Company for Food Industries has coordinated with some companies, such as the Nile, Al-Ahram, and Al-Masriya to make available fresh and frozen meat: buffalo, beef, Sudanese, Australian, veal, and slaughtered sheep.
Inspection campaigns have been launched across Cairo to verify the safety, quality, and compliance of meat offered to the public. The campaigns are conducted by the veterinary medicine, health, and supply directorates.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 5 June, 2025 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
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