While the prices of red meat continued to rise in some governorates, the campaign to boycott meat started to bear fruit in other governorates which saw a drop in meat sales. In Beheira, the price of one kilo of beef reached LE50. "I haven't been buying meat for a while because I can't afford it," said Mohamed Fathi, a resident in Beheira. "The price of beef has climbed from LE32 a kilo to LE50." Esam Habiba, an agricultural engineer, also a resident in Beheira, said he hasn't bought meat since prices went up because he considers his children's private tutoring and health care to be a priority. Ahmed Mohamed el-Sayyed, a cattle trader, said the drop in sales has squeezed profits. "People are right in refusing to buy because prices are too high, despite the drop in feed prices," he said, adding that "the reason behind this increase is the decrease in the supply of live cattle." In North Sinai, the prices of mutton and goat meat--both widely eaten there--increased to LE50-55. "We had to boycott meat because its price doesn't suit our purses," said Um Ahmed, a North Sinai resident. Mahmoud Zahran, a butcher, said, "We can't bring in the cattle because the government is afraid we will smuggle them into Gaza," and that this was why the prices of goat meat went up. In Port Said, the meat boycott campaign led one butcher to reduce the price of one kilo of beef from LE55 to LE45. The Consumer Protection Agency in Port Fouad launched a campaign to boycott butchers and to buy meat en masse from outlets run by the governorate which sell a kilo of beef at LE45. Military meat outlets are selling a kilo of minced beef at LE21 and a kilo of veal at LE28. There was considerable overcrowding at these outlets. In Alexandria, butchers said they are not happy about the boycott and said the drop in demand has forced them to cut the number of calves slaughtered. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
