Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi residents looking for locally raised sacrificial animals for Eid Al Adha, can visit two markets — the first one in Baniyas on the outskirts of Abu Dhabi City and the second in Al Ain.

Abu Dhabi Farmers Service Centre (ADFSC), an Abu Dhabi Government organisation, opened the livestock market near the central slaughterhouse in Baniyas on Monday.

Now in its fourth year, the market will be open until the last day of Eid and will give local livestock breeders an opportunity to sell their sheep and goats directly to customers.

A similar market will open in Al Hiyer in the northern part of Al Ain from Thursday, ADFSC announced on Monday.

“We aim to create a marketing outlet for local animal products without need for a mediator between livestock owners and customers,” a senior official said.

The other objective is to support livestock breeders in Abu Dhabi and enable them to market their products to a large number of customers who will come on the occasion of Eid Al Adha to the central slaughterhouse in Abu Dhabi, Nasser Al Junaibi, Chief Financial Officer at ADFSC, said.

ADFSC will supply pens at the markets to local farmers on a daily rental basis and customers can have the purchased animals slaughtered at the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority’s slaughterhouse.

Last year, around 150 pens were rented out and around 3,000 animals were sold at Baniyas market, an official told Gulf News on Monday.

“This year we expect to rent out around 300 pens and sell around 6,000 animals,” Ahmad Al Kaabi, Livestock officer at ADFSC, said.

There is high demand for sheep due to religious reasons, he said. Ideally, young animals — less than one-year-old sheep and goats a little over a year old — are preferred for sacrifice and it is easy to find such animals from local breeders. Therefore, many customers, especially Emiratis, prefer locally raised animals, although they are costlier than imported ones, he said.

A small locally raised lamb costs between Dh500 and Dh700, which is the price of a big imported lamb. A big locally raised lamb costs between Dh1,000 and Dh2,000, Al Kaabi said.

The market in Al Ain is opening f this year. “We have a plan to make it a permanent market with monthly auction of locally raised animals,” the officer said.

The farmers — both members and non-members of ADFSC — can register to sell animals at the market. Renting a pen costs Dh30 per day for ADFSC members and Dh60 per day for non-members.

All sales are completed between the buyer and the seller with no commissions paid to ADFSC. This business model generates greater incomes for local farmers as they can market their livestock directly to the customer without the need for a facilitator, ADFSC said.