The UAE’s “Cool” Move for Cows to Give More Milk
Forget about chilled milk, these are chilled-out cows!
Statistics have proven that humans perform better in an air-conditioned office environment. Now, in an innovative and unique move, the same principle is being applied to our bovine friends in the UAE. The Mleiha Dairy which is spread over nearly 4 million square metres in the UAE emirate of Sharjah has set up a complex and expansive cooling system for a total capacity of 2,500 lucky cows.
There are 4 barns in all which are equipped with fans and sprayers of water and mist, which reduce the current summer temperature from over 50 degrees celcius to 26. The moist air-circulation also keeps flies at bay. This initiative, in collaboration with the Sharjah Agricultural and Livestock Establishment, guarantees the well-being and productive potential of the housed cows. Yes, this means that the animals will be providing more milk.
The first phase of this ambitious project was flagged off in April this year by Sheik Dr. Sultan Bin Mohammad Al Qasami from the Ruler of Sharjah’s Supreme Council. 1,200 prime bovine specimens were transferred from Denmark with plans of 1,300 of their friends to join them in a few months’ time. The cows are being fed on wheat bran and organic hay grown on the adjacent farmland. This will ensure both the dairy’s self-reliance and superior quality of the milk extracted from the cows. This means that the milk will not contain any hormones or antibiotics, while the thick white liquid will be nothing less than completely nutritious.
So just what target are the dairy farm’s owners and managers setting their sights on? 75,000 litres daily is what the milk producers say will be reached by next year and 61 million litres annually, by 2028. How’s that for “milking” a smart new system for all its worth, needless to say these cows are to truly signify the UAE’s… cream of the crop.
