"Climate Change and Environment announces its readiness for the sacrificial season with an integrated plan
Dubai, May 22 / WAM / The Ministry of Climate Change and Environment announced its full readiness to receive the sacrificial season, through the implementation of an integrated plan aimed at ensuring the safety of sacrifices and live animals, and strengthening the food security and public health system, by applying the highest health and veterinary standards approved in various ports of the country.
The Ministry confirmed that its field teams and specialized veterinary cadres are working around the clock at the border crossings and relevant facilities, to ensure the safety of animal consignments arriving into the country, and to ensure that they are free of infectious and epidemic diseases, including diseases common between humans and animals, within an integrated monitoring and diagnostic system that adopts the best international practices in veterinary quarantine procedures and laboratory examination.
His Excellency Marwan Abdullah Al Zaabi, Assistant Undersecretary for the Regions Sector at the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment, confirmed that the Ministry continues to intensify its efforts within the framework of its strategy aimed at enhancing national food security and ensuring the sustainability of safe food supplies, especially during seasons that witness a rise in demand for livestock and sacrificial animals.
He pointed out that the UAE received, from the beginning of this year until mid-May 2026, more than (664,308) heads of sheep, goats, cows and camels through various ports in the country, all of which underwent the necessary clinical and laboratory examinations before allowing them to enter the country, to ensure their compliance with the approved health requirements.
He added that the number of imported animal consignments witnessed an increase of 19.51% compared to the same period last year, during which the number of imported livestock reached 555,862 heads, stressing that this growth reflects the efficiency of the control procedures and systems followed to ensure the continued flow of safe animal supplies to local markets.
He said that the Ministry is implementing an integrated operational plan based on raising the efficiency of supervisory and inspection procedures, and strengthening the veterinary quarantine system, in a way that contributes to protecting public health and livestock, and ensuring the smooth entry of animal consignments into the country in accordance with precise health requirements and advanced biosafety standards.
He explained that the Ministry provided all the technical and diagnostic supplies, in addition to qualified human cadres, to ensure the speed and efficiency of examining animal consignments at various ports, noting that the country’s ports represent the first line of defense in preventing epidemic and infectious diseases, and enhancing food safety levels.
He said: “We work through slaughterhouses and various places concerned with raising livestock to ensure compliance with the best international standards in handling them and their safe handling in accordance with applicable regulatory procedures and regulations. We also work through outlets spread throughout the Emirates to follow the various necessary procedures for permitting the entry of sacrifices and live animals through the various ports of the country, according to an integrated and continuous coordination mechanism throughout the year with the competent authorities, and during the Eid Al-Adha season in particular, while ensuring the provision of advanced and rapid services to all dealers.”
He explained that the Ministry continues to follow developments related to epidemiological health conditions in various countries of the world through specialized digital systems to monitor animal diseases, and take the necessary preventive measures, including banning imports from countries that record cases of epidemic and infectious diseases, and not allowing imports except after ensuring that they are free of health risks.
He pointed out that the Ministry is continuously working to activate the necessary health protocols to open new and safe import markets and sources, with the aim of diversifying import sources and enhancing national food security, by evaluating the health systems and veterinary quarantine procedures applied in exporting countries, ensuring that they meet the requirements approved in the country.
At the conclusion of his statement, he stressed that the Ministry is continuing to develop the veterinary control system and raise the readiness of border crossings, in order to achieve the highest levels of biosecurity and food safety, and to ensure the provision of safe and secure sacrifices that meet the needs of local markets during the blessed Eid Al-Adha season.
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