The Food and Veterinary Agency (AUV) has issued an official state mandate strictly prohibiting the slaughter of sacrificial animals in public spaces or unlicensed facilities ahead of Eid al-Adha (Kurban Bajram), which will be celebrated this year on May 27, 2026.
To safeguard public health and ensure compliance with national food safety laws, the AUV, in coordination with the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry, and Rural Development, announced that sacrificial slaughter is legally permitted only within state-approved slaughterhouses.
Official AUV Warning: “Slaughtering animals outside of approved, licensed facilities constitutes a direct legal violation and poses a severe risk to general public health. The movement of livestock without accompanying veterinary documentation, as well as the sale, purchase, or slaughter of animals in public spaces, will not be tolerated, and state enforcement mechanisms will take immediate action.”
The Three-Phase Veterinary Inspection Protocol
The AUV emphasized that registered slaughterhouses across Kosovo possess more than enough operational capacity to meet the public’s needs for the holiday. Unlike unregulated private settings, state-approved facilities guarantee a sterile pipeline under the direct supervision of an official government veterinarian.
Every animal brought to a licensed facility must undergo a rigorous, mandatory three-phase health screening:
[THE STATE VETERINARY INSPECTION PIPELINE]
│
▼
┌───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ 1. ANTE-MORTEM SCREENING │
│ In-depth clinical evaluation before slaughter │
├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 2. PERI-MORTEM CONTROL │
│ Direct veterinary supervision during processing │
├───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ 3. POST-MORTEM ANALYSIS │
│ Final carcass and organ safety verification │
└───────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
Strict Sanitary Infrastructure Required
Beyond veterinary oversight, the AUV highlighted that licensed facilities are legally required to maintain advanced structural and sanitary assets that are impossible to replicate in residential or street setups, including:
- Industrial Refrigeration Units: Cold-storage infrastructure to immediately preserve meat and prevent rapid bacterial growth.
- Technical-Sanitary Controls: Professional waste-management systems to safely dispose of animal byproducts and prevent environmental contamination.
- Hygienic Maintenance: Standardized chemical sanitization of all tools and surfaces between processing cycles.
Accessing the Approved Registry
Citizens can view the complete, geographically organized directory of verified facilities directly on the official AUV state portal via their slaughterhouse registry link.
Concluding the directive, the Ministry of Agriculture and the AUV extended their official holiday greetings to the Muslim community, adding: “Celebrate safely, responsibly, and healthily.”
