Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter spoke at a press conference today at the ministry’s conference room at Bangladesh Secretariat. Photo: PID

DHAKA, May 4, 2025 (BSS) – Fisheries and Livestock Adviser Farida Akhter today said a special train service, for the first time will be launched to transport sacrificial animals from North Bengal to Chattogram via Dhaka during the upcoming Eid-Ul-Azha.
  
“All have to comply with the Animal Welfare Act- 2019 in regard of transporting animal by train or waterways,” she told a press conference today at the ministry’s conference room at Bangladesh Secretariat.

The adviser said, “This year, we need not to import livestock to meet domestic demand during the upcoming Eid-ul-Azha as the country has 20.68 lakh additional number of livestock so far." 

As part of the government’s efforts to ensure quality and safety of sacrificial animals, Akhter said the government has been imparting training to the farmers to prevent the use of harmful substances like steroids and hormones for fattening of the animals.

In this connection, she said mobile courts, operated jointly by district administrations and livestock offices, will continue to monitor and enforce compliance. 

“Over 53,263 farms have been inspected and awareness has been raised to the workers about the adverse impact of harmful chemical use on livestock,” she said.

The adviser said, “To prevent hijacking of livestock transport trucks, law enforcement agencies including the Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB), police, district administrations, and livestock officials will work together”. 

A central control room at the Department of Livestock Services will also operate a hotline (16358) to respond to any issues related to animal transport.
According to ministry data, an estimated 12.4 million animals are expected to be available for sacrifice this year. This includes 5.6 million cattle and buffalo, 6.8 million goats and sheep, and over 5,500 animals of other species. 

With anticipated demand accounted for around 2.07 million animals are projected to be in surplus.