The king of Morocco has called on people to refrain from sacrificing sheep during a religious festival later this year because of a drought that has decimated livestock populations and driven up the price of meat. Millions of sheep, goats and other livestock are sacrificed across the Muslim world every year during Eid al-Adha, one of two key Islamic holidays and due this year in June. But Morocco is enduring a seventh consecutive year of drought, which has led to a 38 percent fall in livestock numbers in 12 months. Rainfall has been 53 percent lower than the average of the last 30 years, according to the agriculture ministry. “Our country is facing climatic and economic challenges that have resulted in a substantial decline in livestock,” King Mohammed VI said in a speech read by the minister of religious affairs on national television Wednesday. While acknowledging the importance of the Eid festival, the king called on his people “to refrain from performing the rite of sacrifice”. Eid Al-Adha commemorates the willingness of Ibrahim, or Abraham, to sacrifice his son. Mohammed VI’s father, Hassan II, made a similar call in 1966 when the country also endured a prolonged drought.