Meat prices always take centre stage ahead of Eid Al-Adha, a feast centred around sacrificing livestock and sharing the meat with family, friends, and those in need.
The tradition triggers a massive spike in demand for both meat and livestock, and this year Eid Al-Adha comes amid economic hardships intensified by the US-Israeli war against Iran.
The price of a kg of beef, the most commonly used meat for the Eid, has seen gradual increases over the past few months to reach an average of LE500 per kg compared to LE400 at the same time last year.
Sacrificial animals have also witnessed a relative rise in prices. The average live weight price of cattle stood at LE185 per kg in 2025, compared to LE220 this year. The average price of live sheep rose from LE200 per kg last year to LE250 this year.
Said Zaghloul, a member of the Butchers Division at the Federation of Chambers of Commerce in Giza, said that many reasons have led to the rise in meat prices, foremost among them the appreciation of the dollar against the pound.
He said that the market relies heavily on imported animal feed and livestock production inputs, linking meat prices directly to fluctuations in the dollar exchange rate as well as global shipping costs.
The US dollar has risen from LE46 before the US-Israeli war on Iran to hover around LE53.5 at present.
According to Zaghloul, the problem is not a shortage of supply, as the market is witnessing an abundance of locally produced and imported meat. Government bodies have also contributed large quantities of meat to state-run co-ops, he added.
Mohamed, an accountant in his 40s at a private-sector company, has long been accustomed to buying sacrificial sheep during Eid Al-Adha. However, in the light of the rising prices, he decided this year to opt for sacrificial vouchers known as sukouk instead, particularly after finding a range of payment facilities offered by various charities and civil society organisations.
The vouchers allow Muslims to perform the Eid Al‑Adha sacrifice through an authorised charity or institution. Instead of buying and slaughtering an animal themselves, they pay the value of the voucher, and the organisation carries out the sacrifice on their behalf and then distributes the meat to needy families.
What makes resorting to these charitable vouchers an attractive alternative is the fact that there are diverse options for paying for the slaughtered animal. Representatives of several charities offering sukouk said that demand for them has remained strong despite high inflation rates and a decline in people’s purchasing power.
Mamdouh Shaaban, manager of the charitable Orman Association, said that the Dar Al-Iftaa that makes religious recommendations had issued Edict 273/2012 stating that “purchasing sacrificial sukouk through instalments is religiously permissible.”
The Orman Association launched this year’s sacrificial sukouk campaign on an instalment basis in order to facilitate the performance of the sacrificial rite while ensuring that the meat reaches families most deserving of support across the country.
The initiative also aims to distribute larger quantities of meat and expand the number of beneficiaries, Shaaban added.
The association currently offers three types of sukouk, Shaaban told Al-Ahram Weekly.
The first is the “small imported meat sukouk” priced at LE6,500, which can be paid through an initial instalment of LE785 followed by monthly payments of LE520 over 11 months. The second is the “large imported meat sukouk” valued at LE7,700, requiring an initial payment of LE885 followed by LE620 monthly for 11 months. The third is the “local meat sukouk” priced at LE9,300, under which donors pay LE1,605 initially and then LE700 per month over 11 months.
Shaaban said the campaign relies on a regularly updated database in coordination with the Ministry of Social Solidarity, local governors, and other relevant authorities. The distribution process is carried out through NGOs affiliated with the directorates of the Ministry of Social Solidarity, using databases that identify the most underprivileged groups.
He added that the association also cooperates with a large network of volunteers and more than 7,500 small NGOs across villages nationwide in order to ensure that assistance reaches eligible beneficiaries in the remotest villages.
Mahmoud Abdel-Hakim, head of the sukouk campaign at the Misr Al-Kheir Foundation, said that the campaign offers four products. The “local meat sacrificial sukouk” is priced at LE11,900, while the “sacrificial meat for a village” version is valued at LE85,000.
Two additional products have been introduced for contributors wishing to participate but unable to purchase a voucher, Abdel-Hakim said. These are the “one kg charity meat package” priced at LE480 and the “one kg charity meat package with a bottle of oil and one kg of rice” priced at LE550.
He noted that all campaign products rely entirely on locally produced meat.
Abdel-Hakim said that Misr Al-Kheir’s local meat sukouk includes 27 kg of locally produced meat that is distributed to eligible beneficiaries beginning on the first day of Eid Al-Adha. He added that donors may receive their religiously designated share of one third of their 27 kg share, equivalent to nine kg, starting from the fourth day of the Eid if they wish, or alternatively allocate all the amount to those in need.
He said that one of the principal advantages of the sacrificial sukouk is its full compliance with Islamic Sharia regulations, alongside the application of the highest medical and veterinary standards.
The process begins with the careful selection of livestock, which undergo rigorous examination by specialised veterinarians, followed by slaughtering in more than 100 fully equipped abattoirs across the country, and concludes with packaging and distribution procedures.
Abdel-Hakim said that the Misr Al-Kheir campaign aims to sell around 32,000 vouchers, benefiting more than two million recipients. He added that the decision to distribute meat to donors in insulated thermal bags through branches of the Misr Al-Kheir Foundation has been generalised in order to protect the meat from spoilage.
Other charities and civil-society organisations, such as member bodies of the National Alliance for Civil Development Work, as well as a number of government institutions, also offer sukouk.
The Ministry of Religious Endowments has launched a campaign under the slogan “Goodness for the Donor and Support for the Needy”, while the Egyptian Zakat and Charity House, operating under the supervision of the grand imam of Al-Azhar, has introduced sacrificial sukouk.
Ashraf, a public-sector employee, could not keep up with his annual tradition of buying a whole sacrificial animal this year, as he only had 20 per cent of the amount needed.
Opting against sacrificial sukouk, he came across a social media advertisement from one charitable organisation offering sacrificial animals at comparatively low prices, with the slaughtering and distribution taking place in Africa.
According to the advertisement, a medium-sized sheep costs LE3,200, while a large sheep is priced at LE6,500 and a full calf at LE15,500. The organisation also offers a shared calf contribution at LE3,875.
The organisation assured Ashraf that the meat from his sacrifice would be distributed to deserving families in Africa and that the entire process would be fully documented in the donor’s name in order to provide additional reassurance and transparency.
* A version of this article appears in print in the 21 May, 2026 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly
Short link: