Dubai residents urged to use authorised apps to order sacrificial meat for Eid Al Adha

The Shabab Al Freej, Al Maraa, Al Mawashi and Al Anood Slaughters apps will link them to licensed slaughterhouses

Muslims traditionally gather during Eid Al Adha to eat sacrificial meat as part of their celebrations. EPA

Dubai Municipality has urged residents to use one of four authorised smart apps to order sacrificial meat during Eid Al Adha.

The apps – Shabab Al Freej, Al Maraa, Al Mawashi and Al Anood Slaughters – will source meat only from licensed butchers in a move designed to cut time and effort.

Residents have also been reminded to avoid illegal slaughterhouses and use only abattoirs designated by Dubai Municipality.

These approved slaughterhouses follow strict food safety protocols and have high hygiene standards.

Trained butchers will perform the sacrifices according to tradition and get livestock tested before slaughter to ensure it is safe for human consumption. This will help to eliminate the risk of contamination.

The municipality said people often forgot that illegal butchers can cost more and are not always hygienic in “handling or disposing animal waste, potentially causing health hazards”.

Regular inspections, in co-ordination with Dubai Police, will be carried out to deter unauthorised slaughtering services at cattle markets, the municipality said.

Sacrifices are a key part of the tradition of Eid Al Adha, which will begin on Sunday.

During the festival, Muslim families have a goat, lamb or cow butchered, with the meat shared with family, relatives and the underprivileged.

Four designated abattoirs

Four abattoirs – in Al Qusais, Al Quoz, Al Lisaili and Hatta – have been permitted by the municipality to offer Sharia-compliant services.

Equipped with the latest technology and trained staff, the slaughterhouses will have a capacity of 1,000 animals an hour.

A team of 600 butchers, assistants and 75 vet doctors will work to keep up with demand.

Residents can purchase the animals from cattle markets and take them to the designated abattoirs.

The authority expects about 30,000 animals to be sacrificed at Dubai abattoirs during the festival.