Barbados Agricultural Society imports pregnant heifers from Canada, boosting domestic milk production

The island’s ailing industry is set to receive a long-awaited boost with the importation of the first batch of pregnant heifers, vital for increasing domestic milk production, James Paul, chief executive of the Barbados Agricultural Society (BAS) said Monday.

At the same time, there are concerns that an agreement to import milk from neighbouring Guyana could severely impact the already struggling dairy industry.

The 180 animals are set to arrive from Canada on December 3, three months later than planned. The decision to source the cattle from Canada follows a scrapped plan to import almost twice as many heifers from the United States.

“Canada is a more expensive proposition but the fact is we need the cows,” Paul told Barbados TODAY. “We had no choice; they don’t have any cases of bird flu.”

He added that the cows are expected to arrive at Grantley Adams International Airport with all necessary paperwork to be completed by then.

When the animals arrive they will be quarantined for at least one month and the associated cost of doing so has been factored into the overall cost.

“It has cost us more than originally planned but we are committed to improving the genetic stock we have in Barbados. The timing of the arrival of these cows will help us to improve milk production as we go into next year. It will take about 50 per cent more, in terms of cost, to import the cows, than what we had originally planned,” Paul said.

The import of new stock is crucial for dairy farmers, who have been grappling with reduced milk production due to sweltering heat and other factors. Currently, supermarket shelves are seeing low supplies of some locally produced milk products.

Through a partnership with RBC Royal Bank and the Ministry of Agriculture, at least six farmers will have the opportunity to import heifers via a cost-effective mechanism.

“RBC has lived up to expectations in terms of the industry. They are facilitating the loan and we want to thank them,” Paul said. “The Ministry of Agriculture also played a great role in this programme and we want to thank the Minister [Indar Weir] for his efforts. The ministry was able to provide seed funds and made this thing possible.”

Paul added that the Ministry of Agriculture had also increased its rebate from 50 per cent to 80 per cent to support the initiative.

“A lot of investment has been put into this thing,” he noted.

Sourcing the heifers from Canada represents a significant step towards revitalising the island’s dairy industry, with hopes high for a noticeable impact on milk production by early next year. Annual milk production has shrunk to three million litres, the BAS said.

In August, dairy farmers secured a deal to import 180 pregnant heifers from Canada that was to have begun in September, to boost the island’s milk production. They had originally planned to spend $1.5 million to import 320 pregnant climate-resistant heifers from the United States, with the first batch of 214 animals expected to arrive by plane in July. The plan was halted in May when Chief Veterinary Officer Dr Mark Trotman announced a ban on importing cows from the US due to an outbreak of bird flu (H5N1) in cattle, which was also being contracted by farm labourers.