Saturday, October 06, 2012

Imagine What Happens When They'll Be Needing Sheep


Caught this:

Saudis protest after chicken prices soar

A social media campaign is encouraging shoppers in Saudi Arabia to stop buying chicken in protest at price hikes of up to 40 per cent.

The Twitter movement – entitled "Let it Rot" – asks Saudi citizens to punish traders for raising the price of chicken in recent weeks.

The Saudi Agriculture Minister, Dr Fahad Balghunaim, blamed the price rise on a production shortfall. He said suppliers could only meet about 45 per cent of demand due to a rise in the cost of animal feed.

The Saudi government has blocked the export of chickens in an attempt to stem the shortfall, but the move has sparked fears that prices will rise across the region.

In Iran, there were protests when the price of chicken doubled in July.

Why sheep?

Well, for one, two years ago:

ONE sentence probably best sums up the current level of demand for sheep in the Middle East region: “Just give me the sheep and I will buy them.” They were the words of one of the Gulf region’s largest livestock importers, Ahmad Al-Majed, deputy manager of international trading for the Kuwait Livestock Transport and Trading Company (KLTT).Mr Al-Majed said there were two main concerns within Middle East livestock companies at the moment – sheep supply and price.

Current prices rank as the highest they’ve ever paid for Australian sheep.

And this:

Muslims around the world slaughter sheep and cattle in remembrance of Abraham's near-sacrifice of his son. Due to the high demand on sheep and cattle prior to Eid al-Adha, prices usually soar in Muslim countries.

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