Anti-meat campaign bears fruit

SYMPATHISING with their Muslim neighbours,bishops in different villages across the country have taken part in a campaign to boycott butchers after the outrageous increase in meat prices ahead of the Greater Bairam (the Muslim feast of sacrifice,Eid el-Adha ).The bishops'involvement in the anti- butcher battle has yielded remarkable results.Reports published in the local press confirmed that,despite speculations over seasonal profits in connection with the Greater Bairam,many butchers had to close down their stores after the disappearance of their regular customers.According to their rituals,affluent Muslims observe the Greater Bairam by slaughtering sheep,cows,or goats and distribute two-thirds of the meat to the poor and keeping the rest for their family.Low-income families buy meat at the butcher's in order to observe these reli- gious rituals.The anti-meat campaign was unavoid- able,after consumers across the nation accused butchers and animal breeders of exploiting the religious feast and outra- geously hiking the meat price in the local market.According to customers in the Upper Egyptian city of Luxor,the meat price increased within two weeks from LE18 (about $3)to LE40 ($7)per kilogram. Rebutting the accusations from their former customers,disappointed butchers and breeders indicated that the new prices were unavoidable after the increase in the prices of fodder.Young people in villages,witnessing the anti-meat war,emphasised that their campaign against butchers would resume as long as butchers refused to reduce their prices to what they had been before the boycott announcement.