The government says Bangladesh has a total of 11.6 million cows, buffaloes, goats and sheep ready for Eid slaughtering.
Of them, 4.457 million are cows and buffaloes, while 7.1 million are goats and sheep, the Ministry of Fisheries and Livestock said in a statement on Sunday, reports bdnews24.com.
According to the Directorate of Livestock, nearly 23.113 million cows, buffaloes, goats and sheep are slaughtered for food each year, with nearly half during Eid-ul-Azha.
Last year the stock was 10.422 million before the Eid. For the past few years, the government has claimed that the domestic production of livestock is sufficient to meet the seasonal demand.
The government has set Aug 21 to Aug 23 for the Eid holidays, subject to the sighting of the moon. This means that if the moon for the month of Zulhijja is sighted on Aug 12, Eid-ul-Azha will fall on Aug 22.
All necessary steps are being taken to notify other ministries about inter-ministry meetings, according to the statement. A ‘veterinary service’ led by the Fisheries and Livestock secretary was also announced.
Every small Eid market will be assigned a medical team, while large markets will be assigned two and the market in Dhaka’s Gabtoli will have four.
“Each team will be assigned a veterinary surgeon, a technical official (veterinary field assistant or upazila livestock assistant or ULA) and an intern veterinary surgeon from Sher-e-Bangla Agricultural University.”
Last year, 1.193 medical teams were dispatched to 2,362 markets across the country.
The Directorate of Livestock will also take steps to ensure that ‘harmful chemicals’, such as steroids and hormones, will not be used in the livestock stables.
The ministry will seek support from the Dhaka North and Dhaka South city corporations to ensure that the animals are slaughtered at designated places and that the waste is disposed of properly.
