Animal by-products
Dairy and eggs are the leading animal by-products produced in the Gulf Cooperation Council region. Saudi Arabia leads the livestock sector in the Gulf Cooperation Council region, mainly in the production of animal products. Most recently, more than 5.2 billion eggs were produced in Saudi Arabia, followed by 1.3 billion eggs in Kuwait and 1.1 billion in the United Arab Emirates. Saudi Arabia’s production volume of dairy was over two billion liters. According to projections, Saudi Arabia’s production volume of dairy will continue to increase in the coming years.Meat sector
The Gulf Cooperation Councils’ domestic livestock sector cannot entirely fulfill the demand for meat consumption and therefore relies on meat imports. Saudi Arabia, the leading market in the region, can only cover 43 percent of poultry and 66 percent of the red meat demand of its population. An essential factor for the meat sector in the Gulf Cooperation Council is the production or import of halal meat, as the majority of people in the region are Muslim. The import of pork is either heavily restricted (imported for non-Muslim expats) or wholly banned (like in Saudi Arabia).
