The dairy industry is anticipating a significant boost as imported Canadian heifers begin calving this month, according to Patrick Butcher, head of the Barbados Dairy and Beef Association.
Last year’s heifer importation programme, which brought 180 pregnant cattle from Canada’s cold climate to the tropics, is already showing signs of success despite initial scepticism.
Butcher pledged consumers would soon notice the benefits of the programme as the animals were expected to boost the island’s milk production in short order, which would lead to supermarket shelves being packed with offerings from the Pine Hill Dairy.
He said: “The only mortality during the quarantine was one that came from the airport. When it came off the plane it had already been hurt so during transportation to the quarantine, the injury became more progressive. And we had to euthanise that one two or three days into the quarantine. Apart from that, there were no losses at all. The quarantine was actually successful, despite what people were putting out there.”
Addressing concerns about the climate, Butcher explained: “[December] was the best time to bring cows to Barbados because they’re coming out of winter and this is our coolest temperature of the year. Anytime you’re bringing cows from a more temperate climate, December or late November is the best time because we normally get our coolest temperatures this time. I can only recall maybe one or two days when it’s been really warm since those cows got here and we’ve been getting some nice cooling breezes during the day. Even now, it’s a little chilly in the air.”
Despite reports suggesting low conception rates, Butcher clarified that all the imported heifers arrived pregnant and that some of them had already started to give birth.
In a matter of weeks, he added, there should also be noticeable improvement in farmers’ milk output.
He said: “Most of them are due to calve this month. There are very few of them that would have calved in January. We did not want to bring too many of them heavily pregnant to run the risk of potential abortions or miscarriages due to the flight or settling down in the transition period of the quarantine. We did not experience any abortions or miscarriages during the quarantine or anything like that. One or two of them calved during the quarantine but the vast majority of them, a lot of them, will start calving this month.
“By the end of this month, heading into March, you will start to see an impact from the imported animals towards the milk production.”
The industry expert said that Barbados was not the only nation being affected by low milk quantities, pointing out that there was a global shortage anticipated by 2030 due to a considerable increase in demand for butter and cheese in the Asian market.
Moving forward, as a proactive measure, he said industry figures aimed to further boost milk production by enhancing forage quality; feeding their animals King Grass and implementing advanced reproductive technologies, such as sexed semen, to increase female calf births.
Butcher noted that the dairy industry also faced competition from imported reconstituted milk powder being marketed as traditional milk by a well-established business here. He emphasised the difference in the nutritional value of the powder compared to locally produced animal milk and said there was a great need for public education on the benefits of domestically produced milk.
“They are trying to compare it to Pine Hill Dairy milk but the reality is that it is actually reconstituted milk powder, not real milk,” he said. “It is not the same as evaporated milk. They have added fats and different things and vitamins to it to enhance and enrich the flavour but it is not milk. It is not milk in the traditional sense as we know it. It does not have the same nutritional value.”
sheriabrathwaite@barbadostoday.bb
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