By Jasper Raats

Don’t underestimate the Muslim market for red meat, says Adeeb Bassier of Tadhiya Qurbaan & Aqeeqah Services, a Cape Town-based company that supplies animals for religious festivals and sacraments of the Muslim faith.

Bassier explains he is just one of hundreds of Muslim service providers in this space and that in Cape Town alone, as many as 20 000 sheep are expected to be slaughtered in the coming month in accordance with Islamic religious guidelines as sacrificial offerings for the Islamic festival of Eid al-Adha. This holiday commemorates the prophet Ibrahim’s (Abraham’s) willingness to sacrifice his son (Isaac) in obedience to God.

Bassier notes this festival is celebrated worldwide and many South African livestock farmers have been selling animals to the Muslim community for years for this occasion. “I don’t produce my own animals, but I have reliable suppliers from across the Western Cape from whom I purchase. Some of them I’ve been doing business with weekly for over ten years,” he says.

In addition to the Qurbaan services Bassier offers during Eid al-Adha, he also provides Aqeeqah services to new parents – a thanksgiving offering that involves the slaughter of one or two goats or sheep following the birth of a baby. “Two for a boy and one for a girl,” he says, adding that this market requires a constant supply of animals. “Babies are born every day.”

The carcasses of animals sacrificed as offerings are distributed according to Islamic guidelines among family, the broader community and those in need. Since Bassier’s company also supplies sacrificial animals in bulk to mosques and Islamic organisations, he has established a network of welfare organisations that receive a portion of the meat.

Bassier also runs an online butchery through which he delivers halal meat to Muslim clients by order. “When it comes to both the butchery and my religious services, I run a medium-sized business. There are many larger suppliers than me, and quite a few smaller ones too,” he says.

He explains the Islamic market only buys live animals, because they must be slaughtered by a devout Muslim in accordance with the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad to meet halal food standards.

While the term “halal” refers more broadly to anything permissible in Islam, in terms of food, halal meat must not contain any pork or pork products, no alcohol, and must come from healthy animals older than six months that have been slaughtered according to religious prescriptions.

Bassier says in some ways, buyers of live animals like himself compete with abattoirs and feedlots for stock. “That’s why it’s important for us to build good relationships with the farmers who supply us. There are times when an abattoir or feedlot is willing to pay more for a lamb than we do, and in those moments, your relationship with your supplier and the long-term consistency of your buying price need to carry weight,” he explains.

He emphasises that the Muslim market is much larger than people realise and that in every corner of the country, there is a Muslim community with the same need for live animals for slaughter and religious purposes. “For commercial livestock farmers, it’s a stable and viable market to supply,” he says.