Farmers sign import cattle tender to boost milk production

AAfter a major setback, dairy farmers have reached an agreement to import 180 pregnant heifers from Canada next month to boost milk production on the island.

The deal, announced on Wednesday by Barbados Agricultural Association chief executive James Paul, comes after Barbados imposed a two-month import ban on U.S. dairy cows, leaving farmers scrambling for alternative sources.

The importation of heifers from Canada represents a major step towards revitalising the island’s dairy industry and hopes are high that milk production will have a noticeable impact by early next year.

“We are hoping that by September this year, next month, the cows will be in place because we want to bring them in as soon as possible. Hopefully, these imported cows will have an impact on milk production by January next year,” Paul said on the sidelines of a seminar at the Lloyd Erskine Sandiford Centre.

Paul said Barbados’ current annual milk production is “too low” at 3 million litres. Noting that Barbados once produced twice that much, he explained: “A few years ago we were determined to cut back because people thought we were overproducing milk. Now we see that this adjustment is too much; we really should go in another direction and we will definitely get production back to where it was before.”

Initially, the dairy farmers planned to import 320 pregnant weather-resistant heifers from the United States at a cost of $1.5 million, with the first batch of 214 cows expected to arrive by air last month. The plan was suspended in May after Chief Veterinary Officer Dr. Mark Trotman announced a ban on dairy cow imports from the United States due to an outbreak of avian influenza (H5N1) in the cattle herd and farm workers were also infected with the virus.

Paul stressed that proper management of the new genetics on the farm is critical to the success of this importation. He expressed concern about the low number of veterinarians on the island who specialize in serving the agricultural industry and said too many of the island’s young veterinary professionals are primarily interested in pet care rather than livestock.

“As you know, we are working as hard as we can to increase the milk supply on the island,” Paul added, stressing the importance of veterinary services in assisting farmers with their new animals.

sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb