Rabat’s runaway calves fuel questions about Brazilian imported cattle

On Apr 11, 2023

Two newly imported calves were spotted wandering the streets of Rabat on Sunday, causing an unanticipated disturbance known as “runaway cattle.”

Due to an unanticipated shortage of Moroccan cattle as a result of a severe drought and escalating livestock production costs, Morocco opted to import Brazilian cattle.

The calves’ peculiar appearance alarmed Moroccans, and many of them took to the internet to express worry about the calves’ meat’s quality. They claimed that while the price of red meat in Morocco now fluctuates between eight and ten dollars, the price of local cattle in Brazil is only two dollars per kilogram.

The Kingdom plans to import 20,000 heads of cows from several countries, including Brazil, in addition to Spain and France, according to Minister of Agriculture Mohamed Siddiqui. He emphasized that the shipment that entered Morocco is of excellent quality and that the Brazilian cows are among the best quality that can be found anywhere.

The Minister made it clear that the objectives of this program are to protect the national herd and lower the cost of red meat in the region.

The recent importation of cattle from Brazil, which has been in the news for just over a week, had Moroccans worried. Seeing the emancipated cattle only increased their concerns.

The cattle spotted on Rabat’s streets, however, are not going to be slaughtered for the city’s food supply.

The same sources claimed that the calves are privately owned by an investor who bought them for his own benefit.

Professional organizations had already stated that meat from Brazilian calves would not be available for purchase in the capital.

Concerning the existence of these calves in the Akkari slaughterhouse in Rabat despite the professionals’ boycott of Brazilian cattle, a Morocco Telegraph source responded, “Investors are given these slaughter spaces for slaughtering and cooling, and they pay expenses in exchange for benefiting from the facilities’ services.

There isn’t a single kilogram of Brazilian beef sold out of the Rabat slaughterhouses, the source said, adding that “as for the calves intended for people, they are ordinary meat that does not differ from the norm.”

The National Administration of Food Safety has reassured Moroccan customers, assuring them that the calves are healthy and adhere to current regulations, in order to allay citizens’ anxieties.

Mustapha Baitas, a minister delegate and government spokesman, also guaranteed that “the quality of Brazilian cattle meets with quality requirements and is subject to multiple levels of controls and examination.”