Faced with growing pressure on the local market, Morocco is expanding its partnerships by signing a health protocol with Australia for the importation of livestock. This initiative aims to diversify sources of supply and strengthen the resilience of the national livestock, particularly affected by drought and agricultural challenges.
In addition to its traditional suppliers such as Spain, Brazil and Romania, Morocco has just concluded an agreement with Australia, by signing a health protocol with the Australian Livestock Exporters Council (ALEC). This agreement allows the importation of Australian livestock into the Kingdom. The protocol, signed with the National Food Safety Office (ONSSA), marks a new stage in the opening of the Moroccan market to Australian products. Although it does not establish a formal trade agreement between the two countries, it allows Moroccan importers to access a market previously closed to Australian livestock.
Morocco has traditionally imported its cattle mainly from Spain and Brazil, while sheep come mainly from Spain and Romania. However, this new partnership with Australia diversifies sources of supply, a strategic approach given the growing demand for livestock to meet internal needs, particularly in the context of religious festivals and fluctuations in meat consumption.
Mark Harvey-Sutton, CEO of ALEC, specified that this partnership with Morocco aims to meet the growing needs of the Moroccan market, particularly in the reconstitution of a national herd severely affected by the persistent drought of recent years. This drought, marked by water shortages and a lack of fodder, has caused considerable losses for local breeders, forcing many of them to slaughter part of their livestock. The protocol signed with Australia thus makes it possible to import live animals, helping to partly fill this deficit and support the country’s animal industry.
The agreement also comes in the run-up to the Feast of Sacrifice, scheduled for next June, a period when demand for livestock, particularly cattle and sheep, reaches very high levels. This situation is all the more worrying as national production is no longer sufficient to fully cover this demand. The inability of local production to meet the needs of the national market has led Morocco to significantly increase its imports in recent years.
-Thus, according to the Foreign Exchange Office, imports of live animals experienced an impressive increase of 83.1% between January and November 2024 compared to the same period in 2023, reaching a total amount of 4.84 billion dirhams. . This increase reflects Morocco’s efforts to guarantee a stable supply and meet ever-increasing national demand.
At the same time, a national sheep and goat census campaign was launched in December 2024. This operation, carried out under the aegis of the Ministry of Agriculture, Maritime Fisheries, Rural Development and Water and Forests in collaboration with the National Association of Sheep and Goat Breeders (ANOC), aims to collect up-to-date data on the national herd, in particular its composition, geographical distribution and breeds. This information is essential to better plan the management of the herd, its reconstitution and its preservation, while ensuring monitoring of the red meat sector in Morocco.
