A local official has asked the public in Pakistan to consider the leather industry during the Eid-ul-Azha festival. Akhlaq Ahmed Tarar, the provincial secretary for livestock and dairy development in Lahore, has asked the public to take care during the sacrifice of animals over the Eid-ul-Azha festival in order to save hides from damage.

Eid-ul-Adhia is an Islamic festival celebrated on the 10th of Dhul Hijja marking the close of the Hajj ceremony or pilgrimage to the Ka'aba. Those who can afford it buy animals to be sacrificed before the festival, ideally choosing examples free from all physical defects and fully-grown. In the case of sheep, goats or lambs, the sacrifice of one animal per household is sufficient, while a cow or a camel can be shared by up to seven families.

According to Akhlaq Ahmed Tarar, the hides produced by the sacrifices are a great source of foreign exchange earnings and are used in the country’s leather industry. The official said that the utmost care must be taken to keep them in good shape. He also called upon sheep and goat farmers to improve the quality of their animals to promote the livestock sector in the country.