Ukraine needs at least 50,000 cows to save the dairy industry after war, occupiers purposefully destroying the capacities of dairy farms — director of the Association of Dairy Producers

The war caused huge losses to the Ukrainian dairy industry, as about 50,000 cows were killed.

This was reported by the general director of the Association of Dairy Producers, Hanna Lavreniuk, Daily Global reports.

«Now the occupiers are cynically and purposefully destroying the capacities of dairy farms. Farms on the frontline and occupied territories are barely surviving, often without electricity, communication, and the ability to deliver food,” she said.

According to her, the estimated losses of the industrial sector are at least 50,000 heads, which in monetary terms is 80 million US dollars.

Before the full-scale war, Ukraine provided the countries of the Middle East and Africa with affordable milk protein and fat, exporting products through seaports. During the first 2 months of the invasion, significant volumes of products were collected in the warehouses. However, now due to the impossibility of exporting, enterprises suffer losses, products in warehouses begin to spoil, and farmers cannot receive money to pay for the maintenance of these enterprises.

According to the Association, if the Russian attacks on farms do not stop, then this year, a decrease is possible in the herd of the industrial sector, ranging from 70,000 to 100,000 dairy cows. According to a pessimistic scenario, if the occupied areas are not liberated, between 120,000 and 150,000 cows could be lost by the end of the year. These losses will be critical.

«It takes at least two years to grow a productive cow on a farm. In Ukraine, there is no such time for renewal. We need support in the form of a supply of heifers at the age of 5-6 months, so that the cows can produce offspring quickly and be able to renew the herd. In the first year after the active phase of the war, Ukraine will have to replace at least 50,000 lost heads. We will greatly need such help. Although Ukraine is a producer of breeding cattle, its own potential is not enough,» Lavreniuk added.

The association says the investment in the new farm will be between $7,000 and $10,000 per dairy cow, one of the largest investments in livestock. According to the company’s forecasts, the payback of these projects will take up to 10 years.

We will remind you, that as a result of the Russian shelling of the Sumy Oblast, cows were injured on the farm.

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