Supermarket sacrifice services sell out
15/11/2010
At Eid-ul-Azha, the Feast of the Sacrifice, which this year began on November 16, observant Muslims are asked to have an animal slaughtered if they can afford it and to share some of the meat with the poor. For business reasons, the practice is also of great interest to the leather industry because of the volume of hides and skins that comes onto the market in a short period of time.
Turkey’s population is becoming more ubranised, presenting city dwellers with a problem at the time of the feast. People in small towns and villages can buy a sheep, goat or cow before the peak period, when prices surge, and keep it tethered outside their homes until the time for sacrifice comes. Those who live in apartment blocks in cities are more restricted in this regard.
To help city people fulfil their obligations, supermarket group Real has set up a service offering customers a sheep or a share of a cow. They deliver the meat, either to the customers home or to the address of chosen charities, giving customers the further option of donating part of the cost of the animal to deserving causes. In addition, the supermarket group offers a DVD showing the slaughter of their animal to reassure them that strict religious regulations governing the practice have been followed.
“There was more demand than we expected,”a Real spokesperson told The Financial Times. “People find it easier and cheaper.” She said the company had to stop taking orders well before the feast because it had filled a quota for animals that it had agreed with a livestock breeder. Compared to 2009, demand for small animals increased by 45% while sales of large animals went up by 78%.
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