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Rabat – Local authorities of the province of Nador, northern Morocco, buried yesterday 97 dead livestock in the rural commune of Beni Oukil. The animals died after drinking from poisoned water, according to local reports.
The sheeps died immediately after drinking the poisoned water, with owners later discovering a high concentration of citric acid in the water tubes.
Farmers had used citric acid to clean tubes from bacteria and impurities. But one of the farmers later forgot to clean the tubes from the highly toxic acid.
The 97 dead livestock included both sheeps and goats.
Local farmers told Moroccan TV channel 2M that the water poisoning was not intentional and that livestock raising is their only source of income.
The poisoned water farmers adds to farmers’ problems after the lack of rainfall during the agricultural season affected productivity across Morocco.
Morocco managed to address the issue early by allocating MAD 55 million ($5.75 million) to protect livestock in mid-March.
The Ministry of agriculture also distributed 2.5 million quintals of subsidized barley for farmers in the regions affected by drought. Barley is one of the main livestock feed in Morocco.
Like elsewhere in the Muslim world, Livestock in Morocco serve not only as a meat product for daily consumption, but also as the main symbol of the Eid-Al-Adha feast, which is also an important source of income for livestock farmers.
Muslims in Morocco celebrate Eid Al-Adha by purchasing livestock, usually sheeps, slaughtering them in commemoration of The Sacrifice.
Morocco identified over eight million sheep that are eligible for sale this year, generating an average income of MAD 12 billion ($1.25 billion) for Moroccan families in rural areas, according to the Ministry of Agriculture.
