Feeding livestock with state-subsidized flour
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Praise be to Allah alone, and may peace and blessings be upon the one after whom there is no prophet. And after that: The Permanent Committee for Scholarly Research and Ifta has reviewed what was sent to His Eminence the Grand Mufti from the General Manager of the General Organization for Grain Silos and Flour Mills, reference number (8 1564) and dated 23/2/1429 AH, and referred to the Committee by the General Secretariat of the Council of Senior Scholars, reference number (368) and dated 3/3/1429 AH. And he asked
His Excellency a question, the text of which is as follows: The General Organization for Grain Silos and Flour Mills produces flour, and its production goes through many stages, starting from receiving the wheat, then the grinding stages, and then packaging it in bags. Various types of flour are produced, including powder flour, premium flour, cake flour, and other varieties, during which significant human effort and high financial costs are incurred; so that it reaches the market to be used in producing bread and other products. Flour is considered an important food item among strategic commodities on a global level, due to its importance in people's lives in terms of nutrition, as it is relied upon, after Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), for the daily food of humans. And because of this importance, every country strives hard to provide flour at reasonable prices for its citizens so that they can obtain their daily sustenance with ease and simplicity. And like other countries, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has strived to provide flour at subsidized prices, until bread is sold at very reasonable prices, praise be to Allah. The cost of producing one bag of flour weighing (45) kilograms is approximately (22) riyals, but the state, may Allah preserve it, subsidized its selling price to be approximately (22) riyals per bag. Thus, the selling prices of flour in the Kingdom are the lowest among all countries of the world. This is one of the blessings of Allah upon this country, which must be thanked
by preserving it and recognizing its right by utilizing it in the best way, without extravagance, waste, or misuse. And in reference to what has appeared recently in the form of a shortage of flour in various regions of the Kingdom, and upon investigating the causes of that, it became apparent to the organization that many livestock farmers are tending to use the flour to feed their livestock, due to the high prices of feed, such as barley or manufactured feeds, whose prices range between (30 to 50) riyals, and the high prices of alfalfa and hay, which are many times higher than they used to be; which has resulted in a very large loss by wasting this important commodity, whose production goes through many stages that consume a great deal of mechanical energy, human effort, money, and time, and which, before all of this, is a blessing from the blessings of Allah that must be thanked and not denied.
And after the Committee's study of the inquiry, it answered that if the reality is as mentioned, regarding the state's contribution to the value of the flour for the food of humans so that they can obtain it at reduced prices out of mercy for them and to assist them - then it is not permissible for people to take this subsidized flour as food for animals; because of what that entails of restricting the consumers of flour in their food, and because of what that entails of contradicting the one in authority in the system he has established, which he has the right, by Shari'ah, to establish in order to realize the benefit for the subjects in providing their sustenance.
His Excellency a question, the text of which is as follows: The General Organization for Grain Silos and Flour Mills produces flour, and its production goes through many stages, starting from receiving the wheat, then the grinding stages, and then packaging it in bags. Various types of flour are produced, including powder flour, premium flour, cake flour, and other varieties, during which significant human effort and high financial costs are incurred; so that it reaches the market to be used in producing bread and other products. Flour is considered an important food item among strategic commodities on a global level, due to its importance in people's lives in terms of nutrition, as it is relied upon, after Allah (Glorified and Exalted is He), for the daily food of humans. And because of this importance, every country strives hard to provide flour at reasonable prices for its citizens so that they can obtain their daily sustenance with ease and simplicity. And like other countries, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia has strived to provide flour at subsidized prices, until bread is sold at very reasonable prices, praise be to Allah. The cost of producing one bag of flour weighing (45) kilograms is approximately (22) riyals, but the state, may Allah preserve it, subsidized its selling price to be approximately (22) riyals per bag. Thus, the selling prices of flour in the Kingdom are the lowest among all countries of the world. This is one of the blessings of Allah upon this country, which must be thanked
by preserving it and recognizing its right by utilizing it in the best way, without extravagance, waste, or misuse. And in reference to what has appeared recently in the form of a shortage of flour in various regions of the Kingdom, and upon investigating the causes of that, it became apparent to the organization that many livestock farmers are tending to use the flour to feed their livestock, due to the high prices of feed, such as barley or manufactured feeds, whose prices range between (30 to 50) riyals, and the high prices of alfalfa and hay, which are many times higher than they used to be; which has resulted in a very large loss by wasting this important commodity, whose production goes through many stages that consume a great deal of mechanical energy, human effort, money, and time, and which, before all of this, is a blessing from the blessings of Allah that must be thanked and not denied.
And after the Committee's study of the inquiry, it answered that if the reality is as mentioned, regarding the state's contribution to the value of the flour for the food of humans so that they can obtain it at reduced prices out of mercy for them and to assist them - then it is not permissible for people to take this subsidized flour as food for animals; because of what that entails of restricting the consumers of flour in their food, and because of what that entails of contradicting the one in authority in the system he has established, which he has the right, by Shari'ah, to establish in order to realize the benefit for the subjects in providing their sustenance.
Source
www.alifta.gov.sa
The Arabic text is copied verbatim from the original source, without any edits.