Animal slaughter outside designated areas punishable by up to 1 year in prison

CAIRO – 25 May 2026: As Muslims around the world await Eid Al-Adha, where sacrificial animals are slaughtered after the Eid prayer, Egyptian security authorities have reiterated warnings against slaughtering animals in streets or outside officially designated slaughterhouses.

Article 136 of the Agriculture Law, issued under Law No. 53 of 1966, stipulates that in cities and villages with officially designated slaughterhouses, it is prohibited to slaughter or skin animals intended for public consumption outside those designated facilities.

Article 143 bis of the Agriculture Law, issued under Law No. 53 of 1966 and amended by Law No. 207 of 1980, stipulates that anyone who slaughters, in violation of Article 109, pregnant females or female cattle, buffalo, or sheep that are not imported—unless their weight or growth has reached the limit determined by the Minister of Agriculture—shall be punished by imprisonment for a period of no less than two years and no more than five years, and by a fine ranging from LE 500 to LE 1,000, or by either penalty.

Any other violation of Article 109 or Article 136, as well as decisions issued in implementation thereof, shall be punishable by imprisonment for a period of no less than six months and no more than one year, and by a fine ranging from LE 200 to LE 500, or by either penalty. These penalties shall be doubled in cases of repeated offenses.

In all cases stipulated in the two preceding paragraphs, the seized items shall be confiscated for the benefit of the Ministry of Agriculture. Shops in which non-compliant meat is slaughtered, seized, or sold shall be closed for three months for a first offense and permanently closed in cases of recidivism.