Scope

Covers all major animal exploitation industries operating at meaningful scale in Morocco: sheep and goats (meat), cattle (meat and dairy), camels (meat and milk), poultry (broiler meat and eggs), marine capture fisheries, and aquaculture. Working equids (donkeys, horses, mules) used for draught and transport are included in scope. Absent or negligible at national scale: industrial-scale pig production (absent due to dietary and market structure), industrial fur farming, and large-scale laboratory animal breeding. Excludes companion animal keeping, purely subsistence hunting, wildlife tourism, and conservation-focused wildlife management not linked to extractive use. Municipal management of stray animals (dogs and cats) under draft Law 19.25 is documented in the record but is not treated as an exploitation industry for key_industries assignment purposes.

System Overview

Morocco is a major livestock and marine fisheries producer, functioning as a producer, exporter, and net importer across different commodity categories. The country is self-sufficient in approximately 96% of domestic liquid milk needs and produces significant volumes of red meat and poultry for domestic consumption, while importing live animals and beef to stabilise domestic supply. Marine capture fisheries are the dominant export sector: Morocco ranked among Africa’s largest marine fish producers, with fish and fishery products exports valued at approximately USD 1.8 billion in 2022 (FAO). Agriculture, including livestock and fisheries, contributed approximately 12% of GDP in 2023 (Statista). A 2025 national livestock census recorded 32.83 million terrestrial animals, comprising 23.16 million sheep, 7.47 million goats, 2.09 million cattle, and 106,044 camels (North Africa Post, 2025). Livestock herds have contracted significantly relative to historical averages due to repeated droughts, with state programmes directed at herd reconstruction underway as of 2025.

Key Systems

Sheep and goats. Small ruminants dominate national herd numbers and are the primary source of red meat for domestic consumption and religious-festival supply. Animals are kept predominantly in extensive and semi-extensive pastoral and agro-pastoral systems, with seasonal movements across communal rangelands. The majority are held in smallholder and household farms. Systems supply mutton, lamb, and goat meat for domestic markets.

Cattle — meat and dairy. Cattle are kept in mixed crop-livestock and peri-urban systems for both meat and milk production. Dairy operations range from smallholder farms supplying cooperative collection systems to more intensive peri-urban dairies integrated into industrial processing value chains. The dairy sector supplies approximately 96% of national liquid milk needs (FAO Morocco livestock report). Cattle numbers have declined approximately 30% below the historical average of 3.0–3.2 million head, attributed to drought and associated feed shortages.

Poultry. Broiler and layer production follows predominantly intensive and semi-intensive commercial models. Commercial broiler and egg farms supply the bulk of national poultry meat and eggs. Poultry meat output for Morocco is recorded at approximately 855 thousand tonnes in 2021 (Arab Agricultural Statistics Yearbook, 2024); egg output exceeded 390,000 tonnes of hen eggs in 2022 within the same regional dataset.

Camels. Camels are concentrated in arid and semi-arid regions, kept in extensive systems supplying camel meat and milk for regional markets and some domestic consumption. The national camel population of 106,044 is approximately 30% below the historical average of around 150,000 head.

Marine capture fisheries. Marine fisheries produced approximately 1.21 million tonnes of fish in 2022, primarily from Atlantic coastal waters, with key species including sardines, mackerel, and cephalopods (FAO). The National Fisheries Office (Office National des Pêches, ONP) coordinates landing infrastructure across a network of coastal and artisanal ports. Marine capture is the dominant component of total fish production and the primary basis for fish export revenue.

Aquaculture. Aquaculture output reached 2,310 tonnes in 2022, up from 1,889 tonnes in 2000, focused on marine molluscs, diadromous fish, and inland freshwater species. Production represents approximately 0.3% of total fisheries output and is identified in national policy as a priority growth area.

Working equids. Donkeys, horses, and mules are widely used for transport of goods and people in rural areas and urban informal sectors, including markets and small-scale haulage. Working equids operate in informal, small-scale systems with limited specific regulatory oversight beyond general animal health rules. Population figures for working equids in Morocco are not reported in the institutional sources consulted.

Scale & Intensity

The 2025 national livestock census recorded: sheep 23,158,248 head, goats 7,474,172, cattle 2,094,109, and camels 106,044 (North Africa Post, 2025; Morocco World News, 2025). These figures represent a significant contraction relative to historical averages, with cattle and camel numbers approximately 30% below prior census baselines, attributed to repeated droughts. Small-ruminant numbers have been subject to active state reconstruction programmes following a reported 38% herd decline since 2016 (Yabiladi, 2025).

Cattle meat production was approximately 257–258 thousand tonnes in 2022, down 8.95% from 2019 peaks (HelgiLibrary). Approximately 914–956 thousand head of cattle were slaughtered annually in Morocco over 2019–2021 (regional datasets). Poultry meat production was approximately 855 thousand tonnes in 2021; sheep and goat slaughter volumes are not disaggregated by system type in the publicly accessible sources consulted.

Total fish production was approximately 1,369,115 tonnes in 2022: 1,206,203 tonnes from capture fisheries and 162,912 tonnes from aquaculture (FAO). Marine capture production recorded a 14% increase year-on-year in the most recent available period. Aquaculture production grew at approximately 0.92% annually between 2000 and 2022, well below regional and global averages.

Infrastructure & Supply Chains

As of 2022, Morocco had 14 officially accredited slaughterhouses meeting ONSSA standards, 264 slaughterhouses operating without supervision, and 533 under partial supervision (Yabiladi consumer group report, 2025). Accredited facilities are required to provide resting areas for animals (24–48 hours), separation of dirty and clean zones, refrigeration, sewage systems, and enclosed structures. The Casablanca Meat Processing Plants, managed by LDC Casa Prestations, hold ONSSA approval and ISO 22000 certification and function as a regional processing hub. The Ministry of Agriculture has announced plans to build or rehabilitate 120 accredited slaughterhouses by 2030.

A large share of terrestrial livestock is traded through weekly souks (animal markets) that function as the primary nodes linking smallholder producers, traders, and slaughterhouses. These markets typically lack purpose-built animal holding and handling infrastructure. Live animals are transported internally by road using mixed-use vehicles; imported cattle and sheep transit through ports and border posts under ONSSA veterinary control.

Marine fish are landed through a network of coastal and artisanal ports coordinated by the ONP. Cold-chain infrastructure serves freezing and processing for export markets. ONSSA is designated as the competent authority for animal welfare during land and sea transport, including inspection at borders and oversight of vehicle suitability and journey conditions.

Regulation & Enforcement

Morocco does not have a comprehensive animal welfare law covering farm animal rearing, transport, and slaughter. Existing provisions are distributed across veterinary, public health, and municipal legislation, with no unified farm animal welfare framework in force as of the date of this record. The National Office for Food Safety (Office National de Sécurité Sanitaire des Produits Alimentaires, ONSSA) is the competent authority for animal health, food safety, and animal welfare during transport and at slaughter, including border controls and licensing of slaughter establishments.

ONSSA accredits slaughterhouses based on hygiene, infrastructure, and process requirements and subjects accredited facilities to regular inspection. The regulatory gap between the 14 accredited facilities and the 797 operating without full accreditation means that the large majority of slaughter occurs under limited or irregular oversight, with reported veterinary visits in some non-accredited facilities occurring as infrequently as once every three months (Bladi.net citing NGO report, 2020). Morocco references WOAH Terrestrial Animal Health Code standards in its framework for welfare during transport, with ONSSA designated to ensure compliance across land and sea transport including checks on vehicle suitability and journey planning.

Draft Law 19.25, concerning the protection of stray animals and the prevention of their dangers, would regulate management of stray dogs and cats, including prohibitions on feeding and sheltering strays and authority to eliminate animals deemed a danger. As of this record, the law remains in draft; its farm animal provisions, if any, are not detailed in available sources. A national sustainable livestock strategy and unified legal framework are under development through the Green Generation 2020–2030 initiative in partnership with FAO, indicating planned future consolidation of livestock regulation.

Public Funding & Subsidies

In 2025, Morocco announced a 6.2 billion dirham (approximately USD 670 million) livestock recovery programme for 2025–2026, directed at replenishing herds reduced by drought. The programme includes debt relief and restructuring for livestock farmers, feed subsidies, and herd reconstruction measures, with 3.0 billion dirhams allocated in 2025 and 3.2 billion in 2026 (The Cattle Site, 2025). The Green Generation 2020–2030 agricultural strategy provides the framework for state investment in livestock sector modernisation; a FAO technical cooperation project (budget USD 137,000) is supporting the preparation of a national livestock strategy and unified legal framework under this initiative. The EU’s Terre Verte programme allocates EUR 115 million to support ecological, inclusive, and innovative development of Morocco’s agriculture and forestry sectors, with indirect benefits to livestock systems through productivity and resilience measures (European Commission, 2022). The Ministry of Agriculture’s plan to build or rehabilitate 120 accredited slaughterhouses by 2030 implies public or publicly supported capital investment in meat processing infrastructure, though specific funding figures for this programme are not detailed in available sources.

Labour Conditions

Fisheries employ approximately 650,000 people across capture, aquaculture, processing, and related services (FAO Morocco country profile), representing the largest documented workforce in animal exploitation sectors. Livestock and poultry sectors account for substantial rural employment but disaggregated labour statistics are not systematically published in the sources consulted. Workers in non-accredited slaughterhouses and live-animal souks operate under informal labour arrangements, typically without standard occupational health protections, structured training, or documented safety protocols. Civil society reports describe physically demanding work involving heavy manual animal handling and exposure to animal by-products without systematic protective equipment (Animals’ Angels; Bladi.net, 2020). Nationally reported injury rate data for slaughterhouse and livestock workers are not available from the sources consulted. Quantitative data on migrant labour prevalence and trade union density in animal exploitation sectors are not reported in the institutional sources consulted.

Environmental Impact

Repeated droughts have produced a documented 38% contraction in sheep and goat herds since 2016, directly linking livestock system viability to water availability and pasture conditions. Official statements connect cattle herd decline to irrigation suspensions and water shortages in agricultural zones, indicating significant water dependency across both extensive and intensive livestock systems. Livestock feed subsidies introduced under the 2025 recovery programme imply continued reliance on water-intensive feed crops and imported feed, with environmental implications not quantified in national public datasets.

Morocco-specific greenhouse gas emission figures disaggregated by livestock species and system type are not available from the sources consulted. FAO global datasets attribute a substantial portion of agricultural emissions to ruminant livestock through enteric fermentation and manure; cattle and small-ruminant systems are the likely principal contributors within Morocco’s livestock sector. Intensive poultry and dairy units near population centres generate concentrated manure and wastewater streams; infrastructure requirements for waste management are referenced in ONSSA accreditation standards but enforcement in non-accredited facilities is limited.

Marine capture fisheries exert significant pressure on wild fish stocks. Annual extraction of over 1.2 million tonnes — predominantly small pelagics including sardines — represents one of the highest capture volumes in Africa. FAO and national reports note that aquaculture accounts for less than 0.3% of total fisheries production, meaning that the sector remains structurally dependent on wild population extraction with concentrated ecological impacts in Atlantic coastal marine ecosystems.

Investigations & Exposure

In 2020, four French NGOs published an investigation documenting conditions for cattle exported from France to Morocco and other Maghreb and Middle Eastern countries, with video evidence of handling conditions in Moroccan markets and slaughterhouses. The investigation described the absence of specific animal protection laws and documented unsupervised handling at markets and slaughter facilities (Bladi.net, 2020). The World Animal Protection Animal Protection Index Morocco Report (2020) independently corroborates the absence of a comprehensive farm animal protection framework in Morocco.

Animals’ Angels has monitored Moroccan animal markets since at least 2014, reporting on conditions in souks including use of unsuitable transport vehicles, overcrowding and stacking of animals during transport, and the absence of purpose-built holding infrastructure. Their documentation notes that most farm animals are traded via weekly markets with limited regulatory controls (Animals’ Angels Morocco project page; Animals’ Angels Farm Animal Welfare in Morocco report).

In 2025, a Moroccan consumer group publicly called for urgent reform of rural and municipal slaughter infrastructure, citing the low number of accredited slaughterhouses (14 of 811 operating facilities), hygiene deficiencies including the presence of dogs inside slaughter areas and unrefrigerated meat, and inadequate ONSSA oversight of non-accredited facilities (Yabiladi, 2025).

Industry Dynamics

Small ruminants, cattle, and poultry remain the dominant livestock sectors by domestic consumption volume, with state investment concentrated on herd reconstruction and processing infrastructure modernisation. The 2025 livestock census established a new baseline of 32.83 million head as the foundation for herd-reconstruction policy. The government’s 6.2 billion dirham recovery programme for 2025–2026 represents a major structural intervention directed at reversing drought-driven contraction in cattle and small ruminant populations. The ewe slaughter ban introduced in accredited slaughterhouses from March 2025 reflects direct state intervention in the sheep sector to protect breeding stock. Marine capture fisheries maintain high output and export orientation, with continued investment in cold-chain and processing infrastructure and EU-supported sustainability programmes. Aquaculture is identified as a growth priority but remains structurally marginal at 0.3% of total fisheries output. The planned rehabilitation of 120 accredited slaughterhouses by 2030 and the development of a unified livestock legal framework under Green Generation 2020–2030 represent the primary structural shifts underway in the sector.

Within The System

Developments

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Editorial Correction Notice

Scale and intensity — slaughter disaggregation: National slaughter statistics disaggregated by species, production system (intensive vs extensive), and facility type (accredited vs non-accredited) are not available from publicly accessible FAO or national statistical sources. Sheep and goat slaughter volumes are not separated by system type. Several production figures rely on secondary compilations (HelgiLibrary, Statista, Arab Agricultural Statistics Yearbook) that draw on FAO and national data but may apply their own estimation methods; users requiring precision should cross-check directly against FAOSTAT and Moroccan official statistical releases.

Scale and intensity — temporal consistency: Livestock numbers in the 2025 census (32.83 million head) differ from earlier FAO-based estimates and media reports describing a 38% herd decline relative to a prior census. Cross-year comparisons should be treated with caution given methodological differences between census periods and potential rounding in secondary sources.

Labour conditions: Injury rate data for slaughterhouse and livestock workers, migrant labour prevalence, and union density in animal exploitation sectors are not available from the institutional sources consulted. Available information is qualitative and drawn from NGO and media reports rather than systematic occupational health studies. National labour inspection data would be required to populate this field with precision.

Environmental impact — emissions: Morocco-specific greenhouse gas emission figures disaggregated by livestock species and production system are not available from the sources consulted. Current content references FAO global frameworks and directional assessments only. National greenhouse gas inventory data specific to livestock sub-sectors would be required for precise figures.

Regulation and enforcement — draft legislation: Sources agree that Morocco lacks a comprehensive animal protection law covering farm animals but differ on the status of draft welfare legislation. Draft Law 19.25 (stray animals) and the planned unified livestock legal framework under Green Generation 2020–2030 are referenced as in development; neither had been enacted as of the date of this record. Regulatory descriptions should be reviewed against updated government communications as legislation progresses.

Primary animals — camels excluded: Camels are documented in this record with a national population of 106,044 head, concentrated in arid regions and approximately 30% below historical averages. Excluded from primary_animals on grounds of limited geographic distribution, declining population, and absence from the dominant supply chains documented in this record. Reassess if camel milk or meat production data supporting structural significance become available.

Primary animals — working equids excluded: Donkeys, horses, and mules are documented in the record under key systems and key_industries (Draught & Transport). Excluded from primary_animals as their primary exploitation function is working labour rather than slaughter or biological product extraction. No population figures are available from the sources consulted.

Primary practices — Wool Shearing: Sheep are the dominant species in this record at 23.16 million head. Wool production is referenced in the research as an output from specialised breeds but no production volume, export figures, or system-level data are provided. Wool Shearing has not been assigned to primary_practices. Independent sourcing on wool production significance in Morocco would be required to justify inclusion.

Key industries — working equids note: Draught & Transport is assigned based on documented structural use of donkeys, horses, and mules in rural and urban informal transport systems. Population figures for working equids in Morocco are not reported in the institutional sources consulted; this assignment should be verified against national livestock census data when available.

Regulation and enforcement — transport enforcement capacity: ONSSA is designated as the competent authority for animal welfare during transport, but enforcement capacity relative to the volume and informality of live animal trade through souks is not documented in quantitative terms in the sources consulted. The number of ONSSA inspections conducted at souk level and on internal road transport vehicles is not reported. Independent monitoring data would be required to assess enforcement reach.

Key industries — aquaculture: Aquaculture is assigned despite marginal current output (0.3% of total fisheries production; 2,310 tonnes in 2022) on the basis that it is formally designated as a national policy priority growth sector in Moroccan fisheries development documents and FAO country programmes. Assignment reflects purposeful state management and investment direction rather than current production volume. Reassess if policy designation changes or production growth does not materialise.