Maltese Dairy Producers Consider Investing in Cow Cooling Systems

Malta’s dairy industry is examining measures to maintain production during increasingly prolonged periods of high temperatures. The discussion follows an announcement by Benna, the trading name also used by Malta Dairy Products (MDP), that several of its products had encountered limited availability after exceptionally hot summer weather reduced the supply of fresh milk.

Noel Fenech, president of Koperattiva Produtturi tal-Ħalib (KPH), said seasonal declines in milk output were customary. KPH represents Maltese dairy farmers and owns 70% of MDP. This year, however, the hot conditions continued for longer than usual, according to Fenech.

Fenech said the heat had affected the cows’ appetite, with lower feed consumption accompanied by reduced milk production. Temperatures have eased in recent days, giving producers a better opportunity to rebuild output. The recent improvement came after the period in which limited fresh-milk availability affected some Benna products.

Fenech said producers were considering experience from dairy businesses abroad that are also dealing with higher temperatures. He said Maltese industry participants would look beyond the islands for ideas on how other producers were responding to the same problem. The options currently being considered by local producers centre on installing cooling systems for cattle.

Such systems would require investment of hundreds of thousands of euros and potentially millions, according to Fenech. The scale of the spending is a concern for producers competing with foreign milk suppliers. No investment programme or installation timetable was announced.

Fenech also said producers might ask the government to help offset the cost of the electricity needed to operate cooling equipment. The possible request was presented as a response to the energy expense associated with keeping cows cool. The comments did not specify the form or value of any government assistance.