Livestock Market Report - August 2026

After adding verified WhatsApp orders to website orders, observed August 2026 activity reached 65 purchase requests representing an estimated 36,635 head. This total consists of 33 website orders for 20,925 head and 32 additional WhatsApp orders for 15,710 head.

The observed destination-market base expanded from eight to nine markets after Bahrain appeared in the WhatsApp orders. By combined volume, Saudi Arabia became the largest destination market at about 11,150 head, followed by Libya with 10,000, the United Arab Emirates with 4,920, and Oman with 3,860.

By livestock category, the WhatsApp orders added 13,750 sheep and 1,960 cattle. Combined sheep and ram demand therefore increased to 29,342 head, while cattle increased to 2,210 head. Goat and camel figures remain unchanged from the website records because the supplied WhatsApp list contained no orders in those two categories.

The current WhatsApp list does not include customer names, requested origin, purchase purpose, or urgency as separate fields. Those values are not inferred. Analyses that depend on them therefore remain limited to records that contain the original fields.

After combining both channels, Saudi Arabia became the largest and most frequently recorded destination market in August: 11,150 head across 19 requests. Libya remains a very different case: its 10,000 head come from a single large request, so market volume should not be treated as equivalent to request frequency.

The United Arab Emirates and Oman also expanded materially after WhatsApp orders were included, reaching 4,920 head across 10 requests and 3,860 head across 13 requests respectively. Bahrain also appears as a distinct market in the combined data with 1,830 head across 6 requests.

The combined view makes the difference between large one-off transactions and markets with repeated buyer activity much clearer, which is important when setting priorities for sales, suppliers, financing, and shipping options.

The WhatsApp list added 13,750 sheep and 1,960 cattle. Total sheep and ram demand therefore increased to 29,342 head across 37 requests, equal to 80.1% of the combined volume.

Cattle increased to 2,210 head across 13 requests after adding Boran bulls, local cattle, and mixed-bull orders from WhatsApp. No goat or camel orders were present in the WhatsApp list supplied for this update, so those totals remain equal to the website-record figures.

The updated data reinforces the need for two clear operating tracks: a high-volume rapid-supply track for sheep and a specialized track for heavier cattle and feedlot projects, where specifications, financing, and transport requirements differ substantially.

Scope of this section: the added WhatsApp list does not contain a separate requested-origin field. The figures below therefore represent records with confirmed origin data from the website dataset. Origin is not inferred from breed names.

Website records with confirmed origin data show 17,480 head linked to Somali origin across 14 requests, equal to 83.5% of the origin-known volume. Yemen follows with 1,687 head, Ethiopia with 1,658, and Djibouti with 100.

The concentration in Somali origin is driven mainly by large sheep demand, plus goat and camel requests. This creates an opportunity to improve aggregation, quarantine, and sea-freight economics when compatible orders can be consolidated.

Diversification in Ethiopia and Yemen remains important for reducing dependence on a single origin, especially when veterinary restrictions, transport costs, or seasonal conditions change.

Adding WhatsApp orders materially changed the payment-term profile. L/C in its recorded forms now represents 17 requests, while bank transfer, wire transfer, and advance wire together account for 10 requests. Six requests used cash-related, Cash Against Documents, deposit, or COD arrangements.

The seven website records previously categorized as “Other” remain separate rather than being reclassified without the underlying detail. This avoids introducing unsupported assumptions into the comparison.

Scope of this section: the added WhatsApp list does not contain a purchase-purpose field. Trading/resale, fattening, breeding, and direct-slaughter figures therefore remain limited to records where purpose was explicitly captured.

Trading or resale appeared in 15 requests, fattening in 12, breeding in 10, and direct slaughter in 5. A request may include more than one purpose, so these counts are not intended to sum to 100%.

The distinction matters because the ideal animal specification changes by use. Feedlot animals need suitable entry weight and growth potential, direct-slaughter orders emphasize final weight and meat yield, while breeding adds age, sex, and productive-trait requirements.

Operationally, supplier records should include the most suitable use for each available lot, not only species, breed, and weight.

Estimated monthly demand volume

After adding the verified WhatsApp orders, August rises to 36,635 head across 65 requests, compared with 20,925 head across 33 requests in the earlier website-only version of the report.

Within August, the final third of the month remained the most active period. After combining both channels, 21,995 head across 30 requests were recorded from 22 to 31 August, or about 60.0% of the combined monthly volume.

This update shows why all incoming order channels should feed one master database: relying only on website forms materially understated observed commercial activity.

Detailed destinations recorded in WhatsApp orders

These values represent the customer destination as recorded in the WhatsApp log. They are not automatically treated as shipping ports or final delivery ports.

Jeddah Islamic Port was the most frequently recorded delivery point in the website orders with 9 requests, followed by Mocha Port with 5 and Sohar Port with 4. Jazan, Mukalla, Jebel Ali, Aden, Hodeidah, and other locations also appeared.

Repeated activity around Jeddah, Sohar, and Mocha supports preparing reusable route-cost templates that separate livestock price, inland transport, quarantine and testing, export fees, sea freight, port charges, and inland delivery when required.

Large or unusual corridors, such as the large Libyan request, should still be priced independently because live-vessel availability, voyage duration, feed and water, and discharge requirements can materially change cost.

Observed demand corridors

Map scope: origin was not inferred for WhatsApp orders from breed names. The map therefore shows only records whose source contains a confirmed requested origin.

The schematic map shows the main observed demand corridors based on requested origin and buyer market. Line thickness is approximate and reflects recorded head count, while the table provides the numeric values.

The largest recorded corridor was Somalia to Libya at 10,000 head, followed by Somalia to Somalia at 3,100 and Somalia to the United Arab Emirates at 2,500. Saudi Arabia received recorded demand from Yemen, Somalia, Ethiopia, and Djibouti in the origin-known records.

The map is an analytical representation of demand, not a shipping map and not a claim that every line is a direct sea voyage. Final operating routes depend on ports, permits, veterinary status, and transport availability.