Animal production (the farming and breeding of land animals such as cattle, sheep, goats, and poultry for meat, eggs, milk, and other outputs) sits at the foundation of the global food supply chain. In the UAE, it has become a sector of genuine strategic importance.
The numbers tell a clear story. According to Yahoo Finance¹, the UAE animal feed market is currently valued at USD 1.26 billion, with consumption reaching 3.00 million tonnes, and the country's livestock population has grown to over 2.2 million heads. Yet demand far outpaces local supply: as reported by the USDA Foreign Agricultural Service², domestic production fills only 15 percent of chicken meat consumption, with the remaining 85 percent sourced from international markets.
That gap is exactly where the opportunity lies.
The UAE government has made closing it a national priority, targeting 100% procurement from domestic farms for key animal products including red meat, poultry, and eggs by 2030, as outlined by the Ministry of Climate Change and Environment³, backed by its National Food Security Strategy 2051.
Who is this for?
Setting up through Meydan Free Zone means 100% foreign ownership, zero corporate tax on qualifying income, full profit repatriation, and a fully digital licensing process, giving you one of the fastest and most cost-effective routes into this growing market.
0140.00 - Animal production
Under this activity, you are in the business of raising and breeding land-based animals, from the moment they are born or hatched through to the point they are ready for market.
That covers the full cycle of keeping, feeding, growing, and reproducing animals for commercial output, whether that is meat, milk, eggs, wool, or honey. It does not extend into what happens after the animal leaves the farm. Processing, slaughter by-products, and related services sit in separate categories.
There are some things this activity does not cover, however. If your business is providing breeding support to other farms, such as stud services or artificial insemination, that falls under a separate classification. Similarly, if you are boarding or caring for farm animals owned by others, that is a service activity and sits outside this group. Processing hides and skins at slaughter is classified under manufacturing, not farming. And anything involving fish, shrimp, or other aquatic animals belongs to an entirely different category called aquaculture.
In short: if you are raising and growing the animal, you are in. If you are servicing, boarding, or processing after the fact, you are not.
Third-Party Approval:
No third-party approval is required for this business activity.
Anti-Money Laundering Compliance:
This business activity is exempt from AML compliance requirement.
Reference:
¹ Yahoo Finance — UAE Animal Feed Market Outlook to 2029 — https://finance.yahoo.com/news/uae-animal-feed-market-outlook-081700357.html
² USDA Foreign Agricultural Service — United Arab Emirates: Poultry and Products Annual — https://www.fas.usda.gov/data/united-arab-emirates-poultry-and-products-annual-7
³ UAE Ministry of Climate Change and Environment (MOCCAE) — National Farms Sustainability Initiative — https://moccae.gov.ae/en/media-center/news/21/3/2023/ministry-of-climate-change-and-environment-launches-national-dialogue-for-food-security-and-reviews-
